Key facts
- South Korean stocks opened sharply higher on Friday, August 14, 2026.
- The KOSPI index rose 2.7 percent to 6,995.67 at the market open.
- Gains were led by major chipmakers, influenced by a rally in U.S. tech stocks.
- U.S. wholesale inflation cooled in July, easing concerns about Fed policy tightening.
- The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite all closed higher overnight.
Seoul shares opened sharply higher on Friday, August 14, 2026, with the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rising 2.7 percent to 6,995.67. The gains were primarily driven by major chipmakers, mirroring an overnight rally in U.S. technology stocks.
Investor sentiment was buoyed by U.S. wholesale inflation data for July, which showed a cooling trend due to declining energy and food costs. This development, coupled with weaker-than-expected job data released last week, is expected to reduce pressure on the Federal Reserve to implement further monetary policy tightening.
In overnight trading, the U.S. stock market reached an all-time high. The S&P 500 index climbed 0.7 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1 percent, and the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8 percent.
This follows a strong performance on Thursday, August 13, 2026, where South Korean stocks closed higher for the fourth consecutive session. The KOSPI index had risen 3.21 percent to 6,790.01, with significant gains seen in chipmakers like Samsung Electronics (up 4.89 percent) and SK hynix (up 5.91 percent). The Korean won also strengthened against the U.S. dollar during Thursday's trading.