Key facts
- South Korean stocks opened higher on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.
- The KOSPI index rose 1.83% to 6,146.01 as of 9:15 a.m.
- Samsung Electronics shares jumped 3.02% and SK hynix climbed 2.36% in early Seoul trading.
- U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis, were up 0.04%.
Asian shares edged higher on Wednesday as companies related to artificial intelligence found respite after a selloff, though gains were tempered by elevated oil prices and caution ahead of U.S. inflation data. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.5%, after U.S. stocks ended the previous session with a mild loss. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.2% and South Korea's Kospi added 1.8%.
Among firms in the AI supply chain, chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose more than 2% in South Korea, recovering some of the previous session's loss. Sentiment remained cautious, however, with oil prices elevated as concern over energy supplies intensified following Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. U.S. crude ticked up 0.8% to $94.96 a barrel, and Brent crude rose to $106.6.
On Wall Street overnight, U.S. bank stocks lost ground after mixed quarterly earnings results from Citigroup and peers, weighing on broader markets. U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis, were up 0.04%. Market participants were awaiting U.S. consumer price index data, hoping to extract clues on the Federal Reserve's interest-rate outlook. On average, economists estimated headline inflation accelerated to an annual 3.6% in September due to rebounding energy prices, with the core CPI rising 0.2% on a monthly basis. New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said the Fed may need to raise its policy rate once more this year to slow inflation, but that he sees no need for hikes in 2027. The dollar index was down at 102.17, and the euro was little changed at $1.1202. Market participants were also awaiting Chinese inflation data, looking for signs of reviving domestic demand amid deflationary pressure.