SoftBank shares fall 10.8% as credit risk hits a 4-year high

What happened. On Friday, November 6, SoftBank Group (ticker 9984.T) shares ended down 10.8%. Reuters says they have fallen by almost half since the start of September. The Wall Street Journal counts from early June: down 59%, back to the levels of April. The WSJ links the drop to the Nasdaq's historic selloff, which swung around to Japan.

What a CDS is. It is a contract where the buyer pays for protection against a default on a company's debt. The higher the spread, the pricier the protection. 100 basis points equal one percentage point. SoftBank's 5-year spread reached 466 basis points on Friday, the widest since October 2022. At 0653 GMT it was at 457.50. Markit data says that level indicates a default probability of 30.6%.

Why SoftBank. Reuters calls it a bellwether for AI investment: $64.6 billion in OpenAI, a 90% stake in Arm, and data centre financing through its subsidiary SB Energy. This year it took on more debt at record yields to fund its OpenAI stake. OpenAI has delayed its public offering to 2027, which pushes back the prospect of a return.

Politics and data centres. Reuters says the Democratic Party's wins at the US midterm elections sparked fears that AI infrastructure will slow down. Rolf Bulk of the Futurum Group said one-third of US data centre capacity projected for 2027 and 2028 is at risk, because the planned sites sit in states where governors may now slow development. He added that the elections will not hit demand in the near term, and most data centres due in 2027 have already cleared regulatory hurdles and secured power and chips.

SB Energy. In September it filed for a public listing at a potential valuation of $50 billion, but media reports say the listing has been delayed until December or later. The filing shows it expects revenue of some $439 billion based on contracts with end users. It does not currently have any operational data centres and depends substantially on OpenAI.

Confirmed facts

• SoftBank Group shares ended down 10.8% on November 6.^[1][2]
• SoftBank's 5-year CDS spread rose to as much as 466 basis points on Friday, the widest since October 2022 (Markit data).^[1]
• At 0653 GMT the spread was 457.50 bps, which Markit data says indicates a default probability of 30.6%.^[1]
• SoftBank shares have fallen by almost half since the start of September.^[1]
• From early June the shares are down 59%, back to the levels reached in April.^[2]
• SoftBank has put $64.6 billion into OpenAI, owns 90% of Arm and finances data centres through SB Energy.^[1]
• OpenAI delayed its public offering to 2027, and SoftBank took on more debt at record yields this year.^[1]
• The Democratic Party's wins at the US midterm elections fed fears of a slowdown in AI infrastructure development.^[1]
• Futurum Group says one-third of US data centre capacity projected for 2027 and 2028 is at risk.^[1]
• In September SB Energy filed for an IPO at a potential valuation of $50 billion; media reports say it was delayed until December or later.^[1]
• The WSJ links SoftBank's drop to the Nasdaq's historic selloff and to its debt.^[2]

Implications

• ConfirmedMarkets are pricing more risk into companies that borrowed to build AI infrastructure.
• Our readingDelays to the OpenAI and SB Energy IPOs push back the moment SoftBank's bets start to pay off. This is our view.
• Our readingIf insurance on its debt keeps getting pricier, borrowing will be harder and costlier for SoftBank. This is our view.

Still unknown

• How SoftBank shares and CDS behave next week
• When OpenAI and SB Energy will list
• How much new state governments and Congress will actually slow data centre building

Who it affects

Japan, United States, Global. People who follow AI companies, the Japanese market and credit risk

Sources

1. Reuters: SoftBank credit risk jumps to 4-year high, shares tumble as AI fears roil market November 6, 2026 · media
2. The Wall Street Journal: SoftBank Feels the Weight of Its Debts as AI Bets Stumble November 6, 2026 · media