Nasdaq IPO blitz threatens South Korean stock market SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - Amid unresolved bottlenecks around the Strait of Hormuz, high-profile United States companies including SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are preparing for consecutive initial public offerings (IPOs) later this year. With foreign capital expected to flock to these massive listings and South Korean investors steadily expanding their overseas portfolios, forecasts are emerging that the domestic stock market could face a correction. The benchmark KOSPI closed 0.31 p May 18, 2026

South Korean chipmakers rescue Seoul market despite broad Asia selloff SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - South Korean stocks ended higher on Monday as heavyweight semiconductor shares helped the benchmark index recover from a sharp early plunge. The market stood out against a broader selloff across Asia triggered by rising global bond yields, renewed oil price pressures and weakness in United States technology shares. The KOSPI rose 0.6 percent to close at 7,516.04, rebounding from an intraday low of 7,142.71 to reach a high of 7,636.20. The recovery occurred d May 18, 2026

KOSPI sinks as U.S. tech selloff and Samsung strike fears dampen sentiment SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - South Korean stocks opened sharply lower on Monday, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below 7,300, after weeks of an unprecedented rally. The drop, the lowest since May 4, came as investors reacted to a global technology selloff and rising U.S. bond yields, while uncertainty over Samsung Electronics' ongoing labor dispute added further pressure. The index opened down 0.67 percent at 7,443.29 points before extending losses and falling as low as 7,142.71 in May 18, 2026

AJP Market Watch: Black Friday's reality check as the spread has spoken SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) -There is one number that explains Friday better than any index chart. On May 15, the yield gap between Korea's 10-year government bond and its U.S. equivalent compressed to roughly 27 basis points. That is historically thin. An emerging market sovereign with Korea's energy-import dependence, household debt burden, and geopolitical exposure normally commands a meaningfully larger cushion above U.S. Treasuries. A thinning of that cushion can be a warnin May 16, 2026

BOK brings on hawkish new member SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) - Kim Jin-ill, a former professor at Korea University, held his inauguration ceremony on Friday, to succeed Shin Sung-hwan, who retired from the Bank of Korea’s (BOK) Monetary Policy Board earlier this week. Kim is expected to strengthen the BOK’s hawkish stance with his focus on the traditional role of a central bank. Kim held a private inauguration ceremony at the BOK on Friday afternoon. This comes just four days after the Korea Federation May 15, 2026

KOSPI sinks more than 6%, erasing weekly gains in violent foreign selloff SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) — South Korean stocks suffered a brutal reversal Friday as the benchmark KOSPI plunged more than 6 percent, wiping out all gains made earlier this week after foreign and institutional investors rushed to lock in profits once the index briefly crossed the 8,000 mark. The KOSPI closed down 6.12 percent at 7,493.18 after swinging wildly between an intraday high of 8,046.78 and a low of 7,371.68. The selloff marked the first intraday drop of more than 6 pe May 15, 2026

KOSPI hits 8,000-point mark as Trump-Xi summit further fuels AI rally SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI rose above the 8,000-point mark for the first time on Friday, extending a powerful artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rally. Investor sentiment was further lifted by an ongoing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, while overnight gains on Wall Street, led by technology stocks, also boosted momentum. As of 9:25 a.m., the KOSPI was trading at 8,032.67, up 0.64 percent, while the May 15, 2026

KOSPI closes at record high, approaches 8,000 on AI rally SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Korea's main KOSPI extended its record-setting climb to outshine regional and global peers as it moved closer to a new four-digit milestone. The benchmark index touched a high of 7,991.04 before settling at 7,981.41 Thursday, up 137.40 points, or 1.75 percent from the previous session. Retail investors bought 1.84 trillion won ($1.26 billion) worth of shares and institutions added 190.6 billion won, while foreign investors sold 2.14 trillion wo May 14, 2026

Korea's gold restraint pays off amid Gulf crisis SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Restraint from joining the global gold rush may have worked in the favor of the Bank of Korea, as the country’s relatively low gold exposure helped shield South Korea from sharper foreign reserve losses during market turmoil triggered by the Iran war earlier this year. As oil prices surged following the outbreak of the conflict in late February, governments around the world drew down reserves in March to stabilize currencies and protect their economies. May 14, 2026

KOSPI nears 8,000 as AI frenzy shrugs off U.S. inflation shock SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Korean stocks marched closer to the 8,000-point milestone on Thursday as investors brushed aside renewed U.S. inflation concerns and instead piled into artificial intelligence and semiconductor shares through the U.S.-China summit momentum. As of 10:34 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was trading at 7,973.67, up 1.65 percent, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ slipped 0.66 percent to 1,169.16. The rally closely followed another record-setting session on Wall Str May 14, 2026