South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index climbed to the 2,470 range during midday trading on April 15, buoyed by growing expectations that U.S. President Donald Trump may extend tariff exemptions from smartphones to auto parts.
As of 11:49 a.m. KST, the KOSPI was trading at 2,475.4, up 19.53 points or 0.79% from the previous session. The index opened 0.35% higher and has since extended its gains modestly.
The upward momentum was attributed to easing concerns over U.S. trade policy. On April 14 (local time), all three major U.S. stock indices closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.78%, the Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.79%, and the S&P 500 advancing 0.64%.
In the main board, retail investors were net buyers of 14 billion won, while foreign investors and institutional investors net sold 48.6 billion won and 700 million won, respectively.
Among large-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics (005930), SK hynix (000660), LG Energy Solution (373220), KB Financial Group (105560), NAVER (035420), and Shinhan Financial Group (055550) were trading in positive territory. In contrast, Samsung Biologics (207940), Hanwha Aerospace (012450), Celltrion (068270), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) were down.
Hyundai Motor (005380) and Kia (000270) surged more than 3% after President Trump signaled the possibility of granting tariff exemptions on imported auto parts. Meanwhile, Doosan Robotics (454910) soared over 8% following news that the company plans to launch intelligent robotics solutions later this year.
The KOSDAQ index also turned positive, gaining 0.51 points or 0.1% to reach 709.51. It opened with a 0.07% rise, briefly turned negative around 9:02 a.m., and then reversed course around 9:50 a.m. to maintain gains.
In the KOSDAQ market, retail investors were net buyers of 124.1 billion won. Foreign and institutional investors sold 85.3 billion won and 30.3 billion won, respectively.
Among major KOSDAQ stocks, HLB (028300), Rainbow Robotics (277810), and Sam Chun Dang Pharm (000250) recorded gains. Meanwhile, Alteogen (196170), EcoPro BM (247540), EcoPro (086520), Hugel (145020), LigaChem Biosciences (141080), Classys (214150), PharmaResearch (214450), Peptone (087010), and Kolon TissueGene (950160) traded lower.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the Korean won opened at 1,422 against the U.S. dollar, down 2.1 won from the previous session.
South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index climbed to the 2,470 range during midday trading on April 15, buoyed by growing expectations that U.S. President Donald Trump may extend tariff exemptions from smartphones to auto parts.
As of 11:49 a.m. KST, the KOSPI was trading at 2,475.4, up 19.53 points or 0.79% from the previous session. The index opened 0.35% higher and has since extended its gains modestly.
The upward momentum was attributed to easing concerns over U.S. trade policy. On April 14 (local time), all three major U.S. stock indices closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.78%, the Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.79%, and the S&P 500 advancing 0.64%.
In the main board, retail investors were net buyers of 14 billion won, while foreign investors and institutional investors net sold 48.6 billion won and 700 million won, respectively.
Among large-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics (005930), SK hynix (000660), LG Energy Solution (373220), KB Financial Group (105560), NAVER (035420), and Shinhan Financial Group (055550) were trading in positive territory. In contrast, Samsung Biologics (207940), Hanwha Aerospace (012450), Celltrion (068270), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) were down.
Hyundai Motor (005380) and Kia (000270) surged more than 3% after President Trump signaled the possibility of granting tariff exemptions on imported auto parts. Meanwhile, Doosan Robotics (454910) soared over 8% following news that the company plans to launch intelligent robotics solutions later this year.
The KOSDAQ index also turned positive, gaining 0.51 points or 0.1% to reach 709.51. It opened with a 0.07% rise, briefly turned negative around 9:02 a.m., and then reversed course around 9:50 a.m. to maintain gains.
In the KOSDAQ market, retail investors were net buyers of 124.1 billion won. Foreign and institutional investors sold 85.3 billion won and 30.3 billion won, respectively.
Among major KOSDAQ stocks, HLB (028300), Rainbow Robotics (277810), and Sam Chun Dang Pharm (000250) recorded gains. Meanwhile, Alteogen (196170), EcoPro BM (247540), EcoPro (086520), Hugel (145020), LigaChem Biosciences (141080), Classys (214150), PharmaResearch (214450), Peptone (087010), and Kolon TissueGene (950160) traded lower.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the Korean won opened at 1,422 against the U.S. dollar, down 2.1 won from the previous session.