Key facts
- Seoul shares opened higher on Thursday, July 30, 2026, with the KOSPI rising 0.33% to 5,681.77.
- The KOSPI index had previously closed down 5.98% on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
- Concerns over artificial intelligence spending and Federal Reserve policy uncertainty are impacting investor sentiment.
- The U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and offered little new guidance on future policy.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.19% and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.74% overnight.
Seoul shares opened higher on Thursday, July 30, 2026, as investors attempted to buy oversold stocks despite losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 18.53 points, or 0.33 percent, to 5,681.77 at the opening bell.
On Wednesday, the index plunged 5.98 percent to close at 5,663.24, following an 11% decline the previous session. The KRX had activated a sell-side sidecar and a circuit breaker, halting trading for 20 minutes due to an 8% plunge amid skepticism over artificial intelligence spending.
Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.19 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 1.74 percent. The U.S. central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75 percent for a fifth consecutive pause, offering little new guidance on future rate paths and increasing investor uncertainty.