KOSPI Drops 2% as Won Holds Near 1,340 Ahead of US CPI Fallout

KOSPI Drops 2% as Won Holds Near 1,340 Ahead of US CPI Fallout

What Happened The KOSPI fell 2.01% to 6,909.91, one of the sharper single-day moves among major Asian benchmarks today, even as the won barely budged, up just 0.05% against the dollar to 1,339.81. That combination is worth sitting with: a sizable equity drawdown without a matching currency shock usually points to a domestic or sector-specific … Read more

KOSPI Tops 6,870 as Won Steadies While Wall Street Slides

KOSPI Tops 6,870 as Won Steadies While Wall Street Slides

What Happened Korean equities moved in the opposite direction from Wall Street on August 19. The KOSPI climbed 0.83% to 6,869.83, while the won firmed slightly against the dollar, with USD/KRW slipping 0.21% to 1,412.37. That divergence stands out against the backdrop of a rough session in the US, where the S&P 500 fell 1.16% … Read more

KOSPI’s 4.4% Surge Puts Korea’s Export Cycle Back in Focus

KOSPI's 4.4% Surge Puts Korea's Export Cycle Back in Focus

What Happened KOSPI closed up 4.43% at 6,579.04, one of the sharper single-day moves among major global indices today, while the Korean won held broadly stable, trading near 1,418.31 per dollar and off just 0.07% on the session. That combination — a large equity rally alongside a currency that barely moved — is the detail … Read more

KOSPI Sinks 6.65% as Won Slides Past 1,497

KOSPI Sinks 6.65% as Won Slides Past 1,497

Lead: the single most important number today The KOSPI fell 6.65% to close at 6,806.93, by far the sharpest single-day move across the major indices this week. The drop stands out against a much calmer tape elsewhere: the S&P 500 slipped just 0.34% to 7,517.78 and the Nasdaq eased 1.24% to 25,883.09. Meanwhile the won … Read more

KOSPI’s 5% Drop Exposes Korea’s Semiconductor Export Vulnerability

KOSPI's 5% Drop Exposes Korea's Semiconductor Export Vulnerability

The Setup Korea’s benchmark equity index, the KOSPI, fell 5.34% in a single session on July 8, closing at 7,656.31 — a jarring divergence from the comparative calm in New York, where the S&P 500 gained 0.48% to 7,518.88 and the NASDAQ added 0.52% to reach 25,968.15. The CBOE VIX finished at 15.6, barely changed, … Read more