KOSPI opens 2.46% lower on AI spending worries before US midterms

Key facts

• The KOSPI opened at 5,715.19, down 143.89 points or 2.46 percent, per Yonhap.
• The Nasdaq Composite closed 1.07 percent lower and the S&P 500 0.51 percent lower in the prior US session.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.41 percent in that same US session.
• Oil prices fell on optimism about a potential US-Iran peace agreement, the report said.

South Korean stocks opened lower on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index down 143.89 points, or 2.46 percent, at 5,715.19 at the opening bell, according to Yonhap.

The report attributed the decline to lingering concerns over large spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and to caution ahead of the US midterm elections, which it said were being held on Tuesday US time.

In the prior US session, the Nasdaq Composite closed 1.07 percent lower and the S&P 500 closed 0.51 percent lower, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.41 percent, the report said. It said oil prices fell on optimism about a potential US-Iran peace agreement.