STORY: Semiconductor stocks rebounded slightly on Wednesday after a negative forecast from chip maker ASML sparked a global tech sell-off.

Europe’s largest technology company, which supplies machinery to make semiconductor chips, forecast lower-than-expected sales and bookings for 2025 on Tuesday, sending its shares to their biggest one-day decline since 1998 and dragging down many rivals.

Despite a boom in AI-related chips, other parts of the semiconductor market showed weakness, causing companies to either delay orders or plan “limited” additions, according to ASML.

To make matters worse, the company’s quarterly results were accidentally posted on the website half a day earlier than planned.

The company’s CEO apologized for the mishap in a call with analysts on Wednesday, calling it “unfortunate” given the seriousness of the poor forecast.

But while the weaker sales outlook raised fears about weakening global chip demand, several analysts on Wednesday pointed to stockpiling at chip factories that stocked up on ASML’s expensive tools during the pandemic and could better use them to produce larger numbers of chips.

However, ASML shares were down more than 5% in Wednesday afternoon trading.