Global Market: South Korean shares rise as chipmakers gain on Wall Street rally, easing rate fears

South Korean shares rose on Monday, led by major chipmakers, as a record-setting rally on Wall Street eased concerns that the U.S. Federal Reserve could keep interest rates higher for longer, Reuters reported.

The benchmark Kospi was up 49.97 points, or 0.80%, at 6,308.74 as of 0158 GMT, after declining for seven consecutive weeks.

U.S. stocks advanced on Friday, with the S&P 500 closing at a record high to cap a strong week for major indexes. A U.S. jobs report showing an unexpected decline in employment last month reduced expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike at its September meeting.


The softer U.S. labour market data supported investor appetite for risk assets and provided a boost to South Korean technology stocks, which had faced heavy selling pressure in the previous week.

Reuters reported that upcoming earnings from semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related companies overseas are expected to help ease concerns over a potential peak in AI and memory-chip demand. The earnings season could also improve foreign investor flows into South Korean chipmakers following last week's sell-off, according to the report.

Among major Kospi constituents, Samsung Electronics rose 0.43%, while SK Hynix gained 1.62%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution was unchanged.

Hyundai Motor advanced 1.77%, while sister company Kia fell 0.59%. POSCO Holdings was flat, while Samsung BioLogics edged up 0.03%.

Of the 910 stocks traded, 630 advanced and 248 declined.

Foreign investors were net sellers of South Korean shares worth 526.4 billion won ($371.75 million), limiting gains in the broader market.

The South Korean won weakened to 1,414.7 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, compared with 1,409.5 in the previous session.

In the bond market, September futures on three-year Treasury bonds fell 0.04 point to 103.35. The most liquid three-year Korean Treasury bond yield was unchanged at 3.751%, while the benchmark 10-year yield also held steady at 4.198%.

The combination of stronger technology stocks and reduced expectations of near-term U.S. monetary tightening provided support to Korean equities, although continued foreign selling remained a headwind, as per a report by Reuters.