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AI-driven market trends don’t undermine earnings—only valuations: Q3 reports confirm order visibility, and investors are bucking the trend by increasing positions.
From September 22 to October 22, 2026, the A-share AI sector continued to adjust, with the ChiNext Index falling 24.20% and the STAR 50 PE-TTM dropping nearly 60%, from 264 times to above 110 times. Meanwhile, corporate earnings collectively exceeded expectations during the same period—CATL reported a quarterly net profit of RMB 21.2 billion, Yuanjie Technology forecast a nearly sixfold increase, and Lianxun Instruments posted a net profit surge of over 18 times—while equity ETFs saw net inflows of nearly RMB 70 billion. The core driver of this correction was valuation compression, rather than deteriorating fundamentals.
Why it mattersThe material explicitly states that the primary drivers of this round of decline are the rising discount rate (affecting the denominator) and weakening overseas regulatory expectations (eroding confidence on the numerator), which together have weighed on valuations—while industry conditions, order visibility, primary-market pricing, and policy‑exemption arrangements have all remained stable. Meanwhile, continued net ETF subscriptions and a spate of announcements from optical‑module companies indicating order backlogs extending through 2027 further confirm that the market is actively stepping in at low valuation levels, with a clear rationale and a fully substantiated chain of evidence.