South Korean shares jump 5% to record high as chipmakers rally

LG Energy Solution

04/05/2026 09:42

KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers

Korean won strengthens against dollar

South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

Adds securities firms rallying on foreign investor service in paragraphs 1, 9-10

SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares rose more than 5% on Monday to a record close, as chipmakers rallied on artificial intelligence optimism fuelled by upbeat data and U.S. earnings, while securities firms also jumped on hopes for foreign fund inflows.

** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 ended up 338.12 points, or 5.12%, at 6,936.99, its highest closing level on record. It was the biggest daily percentage rise since April 8.

** South Korean financial markets were closed on Friday for a public holiday and will be closed on Tuesday for another holiday.

** Samsung Electronics 005930.KS rose 5.44% and SK Hynix 000660.KS gained 12.52%, with both chipmakers closing at record levels.

** The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq advanced to record closing highs on Friday, boosted by robust earnings of major technology firms. .N

** South Korea's factory activity expanded at the strongest pace in more than four years in April, as semiconductor demand continued to power both output and new orders, a survey showed on Monday.

** South Korean exports rose for an 11th month in April, beating forecasts on a boom in chip sales, data showed on Friday.

** "AI-related stocks are rising tirelessly, with the market becoming fearless," said Huh Jae-hwan, an analyst at Eugene Investment Securities.

** Most other sectors also rose, with securities firms .KS53 rallying 10.1% on hopes of a boost in earnings from a stock market boom and foreign buying of local stocks through investment account services.

** Samsung Securities 016360.KS surged on the news that it will introduce next week an account service for foreign retail investors to buy South Korean stocks in collaboration with IBKR IBKR.O, said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities. The brokerage firm's shares surged 28%.

** Of the total 891 traded issues, 392 shares advanced, while 476 declined.

** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 3 trillion won ($2.05 billion).

** The won was quoted at 1,462.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 1% higher than its previous close at 1,477.5.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield KR3YT=RR rose by 1.4 basis points to 3.604%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR rose by 7.2 basis points to 3.916%.

($1 = 1,464.8000 won)

 (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

 ((jihoon.lee@thomsonreuters.com;))