South Korea shares wrap best week in 4-1/2 years on AI, market reform optimism

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Sep 12, 2025, 13:33 GMT+7
Key points:

• KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers
• Korean won strengthens against dollar
• South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

(Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares hit a record high on Friday and logged the best weekly performance in 4-1/2 years, buoyed by investor optimism over AI technologies and domestic market reforms. The won firmed, while the benchmark bond yield fell.
** The benchmark KOSPIclosed up 51.34 points, or 1.54%, at 3,395.54. For the week, the index gained 5.94%, the sharpest weekly gain since January 2021.
** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronicsrose 2.72%, while peer SK Hynixgained 7.00%. Battery maker LG Energy Solutionclimbed 1.57%.
** Shares of Hyundai Motorand sister automaker Kia Corpwere up 0.22% and down 0.66%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdingsadded 1.24%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogicsrose 0.19%.
** SK Hynix said it has completed its internal certification process for next generation high-bandwidth memory 4(HBM4) chips and established a production system for customers.
** South Korean President Lee Jae Myung scrapped a plan to revise a capital gains tax on stock investments on Thursday, conceding that the move risked undermining the market and reaffirming a promise of reform to revitalise it.
** There is policy optimism especially for tech sectors, expectations for further rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and investors are especially bullish on semiconductor shares, said Lee Sang-hoon, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities.
** Of the total 929 traded issues, 524 shares advanced, while 344 declined.
** The KOSPI has risen 41.51% so far this year.
** The won has strengthened 6.1% against the dollar so far this year.
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds (KTBc1) lost 0.04 point to 107.29.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yieldrose by 1.5 basis points to 2.431%, while the benchmark 10-year yieldfell by 1.3 basis points to 2.812%.

Sumber : Reuters