Korea's industrial output posts biggest gain in 6 years on autos, chips

South Korea's industrial output expanded at the fastest pace in six years in June, as a sharp rebound in automobile production rippled through consumption and investment while semiconductor output returned to growth, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Friday. Production, retail sales and facility investment all increased from May, marking the first simultaneous rise in the economy's three key indicators since March. The seasonally adjusted all-industry production index rose 2.3

2026-07-31 14:24:10:00

Chip rally sends Kospi up 17% past 6,500

Seoul stocks surged by nearly 17 percent Friday morning, as strong gains in chip shares lifted the Kospi nearly 1,000 points and back above the 6,500 threshold. As of 10:20 a.m., the Kospi was trading 16.8 percent higher at 6,530 points, after hitting an intraday high of 6,548.64, up 17 percent, only minutes earlier. The benchmark opened 1.15 percent higher at 5,657.79, before rapidly advancing. A buy-side sidecar was activated at 9:06 a.m., suspending program trading for five minutes. A similar

2026-07-31 09:37:53:00

Won hits five-month high as Kospi remains volatile

The South Korean won strengthened to its strongest intraday level in about five months Thursday, reaching the 1,430 range even as the Kospi remained volatile following two days of steep losses. The dollar-won rate closed Seoul's daytime session at 1,437.4 on Thursday, gaining 9.3 won from the previous close. Opening the regular session at 1,442.5, the dollar-won rate hit a daytime best of 1,435.9 at around 9:16 a.m. It later bounced above 1,440 before coming back down after the 3:30 p.m. close t

2026-07-30 15:09:51:00

Korea unveils fresh curbs on leveraged ETFs

The South Korean financial industry is moving to cushion the market impact of single-stock leveraged exchange-traded products through new rebalancing rules, while regulators prepare tighter curbs after a sharp sell-off deepened concerns that the instruments were amplifying swings in the country's largest chip stocks. The Korea Financial Investment Association said Thursday that asset managers would spread rebalancing trades, currently concentrated near the closing bell, across regular trading ho

2026-07-30 12:50:37:00

Kospi crashes below 5,300 as sell-off intensifies

South Korean stocks extended their historic sell-off Wednesday: The Kospi once plunged nearly 13 percent to below 5,300 and triggered a circuit breaker for a second straight day amid heavy selling by retail and foreign investors. The Kospi ended regular trading at 5,663.24, down about 6 percent, after opening 1.09 percent higher at 6,089.11. The benchmark quickly reversed course and sank to 5,262.77, down 12.63 percent from the previous close. The slide took the index below the 5,300 mark for th

2026-07-29 15:09:43:00

Leveraged ETF reversal tests Korea’s regulatory credibility

South Korea's abrupt reversal over single-stock leveraged funds has revived a broader question for global investors: whether unpredictable policymaking itself contributes to the country's long-standing equity market discount. The speed with which authorities moved from approving the products to tightening the rules — amid conflicting comments from senior officials — has turned the episode into a test of regulatory credibility. The concern is not that regulators strengthened safeguards for high-r

2026-07-29 15:04:44:00

Kospi plunges 11%, hits a 3-month low

Seoul stocks crashed Tuesday, with the benchmark Kospi tumbling nearly 11 percent as a selloff in chip heavyweights intensified. The Kospi closed the regular session at 6,023.66, down 10.84 percent from the previous day. Losses mounted from the opening bell, triggering a sell-side sidecar at around 9:06 a.m. and later a circuit breaker as the decline deepened. A sidecar briefly suspends program trading, while a circuit breaker halts all trading. The index briefly fell as low as 5,992.91, slippin

2026-07-28 17:22:44:00

[Contribution] Are markets too greedy?

By Steve Brice There are increasing signs of investor euphoria globally, most notably in the semiconductor space and especially in South Korea and Taiwan. In these two markets in particular, there has been a sense among investors that stocks can only go up. As a battle-hardened investor, I worry that we are getting closer to the peak of this sentiment. At the same time, I recognize that this euphoria can continue for longer than expected. So, what should investors do? The answer is they should s

2026-07-28 16:17:56:00

Igis completes W900b acquisition of Doosan Tower

Igis Asset Management has completed its acquisition of Doosan Tower in central Seoul in a deal worth more than 900 billion won ($612 million), about a year after an earlier attempt to buy the landmark property fell through. Igis paid the remaining balance and closed the transaction Monday, according to industry reports. The 33-story office and retail complex in Dongdaemun was previously owned by Mastern Investment Management, which acquired it from Doosan Group for about 800 billion won in 2020.

2026-07-27 21:02:19:00

Not YouTuber or doctor: Athlete, teacher top Korean students' dream jobs

Forget YouTuber or doctor. South Korean teenagers still dream most of becoming teachers, while younger children are setting their sights on careers in sports. Teacher was the top dream job among both middle and high school students in 2025, according to a report released Sunday by the Education Ministry and the Korean Educational Development Institute. The profession has held the No. 1 spot among teenagers every year since the career education survey became an official national statistic in 2015

2026-07-27 20:48:26:00