August 20 Review: KOSPI Rebounded 5.89%; European Spreads Were Not Measured

Correction — 22 October 2026: The archived KOSPI return was minus 0.25%, while the adjacent daily values show plus 5.89%. The former title also asserted euro strength and stable peripheral spreads without the necessary European series. Those claims are withdrawn. This is a retrospective review using daily history retrieved on 2026-10-22, not a live report or a reconstruction of every quote available at original publication.

Reconstructing the Korean return

The Korean index moved from 6,471.17 on 2026-08-19 to 6,852.58 on 2026-08-20. Dividing the later value by the earlier value, subtracting one and multiplying by 100 gives +5.89%. The previous article reported -0.25%. The difference is material because it reverses the direction of the return.

Dated observations and calculations

Provider daily observations; dates follow each instrument’s time zone
Series / source Previous date Previous value Observation date Value Change Time zone
KOSPI 2026-08-19 6,471.17 2026-08-20 6,852.58 +5.89% Asia/Seoul
S&P 500 2026-08-19 7,707.98 2026-08-20 7,641.16 -0.87% America/New_York
Nasdaq Composite 2026-08-19 26,331.09 2026-08-20 26,067.17 -1.00% America/New_York
US 10-year yield proxy (^TNX) 2026-08-19 4.653 2026-08-20 4.696 +4.3 bp America/Chicago
WTI futures (CL=F) 2026-08-19 85.83 2026-08-20 87.83 +2.33% America/New_York
Gold futures (GC=F) 2026-08-19 4,545.30 2026-08-20 4,571.40 +0.57% America/New_York
USD/KRW (won per dollar) 2026-08-19 1,413.58 2026-08-20 1,389.40 -1.71% Europe/London
USD/JPY (yen per dollar) 2026-08-19 159.55 2026-08-20 158.28 -0.80% Europe/London
VIX 2026-08-19 14.89 2026-08-20 16.01 +7.52% America/Chicago

A rebound and a recovery are different calculations

KOSPI advanced from 6,471.17 to 6,852.58. A 5.89% rebound is a return from the lower starting level; it does not by itself establish a record or recover every preceding loss. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 declined 0.87% and the Nasdaq declined 1.00%. These observations allow a regional performance comparison, but they do not measure EUR/USD or the gap between Italian and German bond yields.

Method and limits

Percentage changes use (value ÷ previous available daily value − 1) × 100, before rounding. Yield changes use the difference in percentage-point quotes multiplied by 100 to obtain basis points. Currency values are local-currency units per US dollar. Index levels are in points; futures quotes are in US dollars per barrel for WTI and per troy ounce for gold.

Each linked Yahoo Finance history is the data source for that row. These provider observations have not been independently checked against exchange settlement records. The futures series can change its referenced contract over time and should not be treated as the return on a continuously held investment. A date shared by two markets does not make their closing times simultaneous.

The earlier news-based explanations are omitted because their relevance to these measured moves was not established. For the calculation workflow and trading-session examples, see How to Read Daily Market Returns Without Mixing Trading Sessions.

Written by

James Yoo

James Yoo is the editor of Global Invest Daily. He follows global macro and cross-asset markets daily — Federal Reserve and ECB policy, Middle East energy dynamics, China and emerging markets — and writes scenario-based analysis of how geopolitical events transmit into equities, bonds, FX, and commodities. Every post follows the site's editorial standards: in-line attribution for every external statistic, no directive investment advice, and published corrections. Reach him via the site's Contact page.

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