Business · Markets · 20 mins ago
South Korea's KOSPI rises above 5,400 in early trading
South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.81% early on Nov.
12, reaching 5,418.80 and moving back above 5,400.
The index had also gained on Nov.
10 and 11, after falling amid concern about possible delays and disruptions to data centers.
Those concerns followed a strong Democratic victory in the US midterm elections.
The KOSDAQ turned higher after opening lower, trading up 0.70% at 710.06.
Its rise followed a gain of more than 5% the previous day, when it recovered the 700 level.
The early gains show both South Korean indexes moving up, but the KOSPI was still seeking a clear direction.
The KOSPI opened on Nov. 12 at 5,385.94, up 0.20% from the previous close.
At 9:23 a.m. local time, it was at 5,387.08, up 0.22%, and trading around break-even.
The index had risen 4.39% on Nov. 10 and 2.60% the previous day.
A sharp overnight rise in US semiconductor shares helped support the market, while profit-taking and uncertainty about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s position weighed on sentiment.
Samsung Electronics rose 1.21%, while SK Hynix traded with modest gains after fluctuating.
- Who
- South Korean stock market investors; individual and foreign investors were net buyers, while institutions were net sellers.
- What
- The KOSPI opened higher and traded around break-even, below 5,400 in the reported figures.
- When
- Nov. 12, 2026; the opening level was reported, and the index was at 5,387.08 at 9:23 a.m. local time.
- Where
- South Korea; the KOSPI is the country’s benchmark stock index.
- Why
- Gains in US technology and semiconductor shares supported the market. Profit-taking after two days of gains and concerns about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s position also affected trading.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The KOSPI rose 4.39% after falling amid concerns about delays and disruption to data-center projects.
The KOSPI gained a further 2.60%.
The KOSPI began trading at 5,385.94, up 0.20%.
The KOSPI stood at 5,387.08, up 0.22%, and was fluctuating around break-even.
- Opening level
- 5,385.94
- Change at opening
- Up 0.20%
- Level at 9:23 a.m.
- 5,387.08
- Change at 9:23 a.m.
- Up 0.22%
- Foreign investor net buying
- 8.8 billion won
- Individual investor net buying
- 166.9 billion won
3 sources
What people are saying
US markets surged, led by AI and semiconductor stocks, following CoreWeave's earnings and announcement of an improved financing structure
As uncertainty grew over Huang's future, concerns emerged that Nvidia's aggressive AI investment strategy, product development and cooperation with major customers could be disrupted