Overview
- Seoul’s Kospi crossed the 9,000 mark on Thursday, pushed higher by a concentrated rally in semiconductor stocks and related ETFs that lifted the index to new intraday and closing records.
- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix led gains with outsized moves that together account for more than half of the Kospi by weight, and single‑stock leveraged ETFs amplified buying pressure and index impact.
- A U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding and the initial resumption of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz helped lower oil prices and boost regional risk appetite by easing near‑term supply fears.
- The Federal Reserve left rates on hold at 3.5–3.75% while Chair Kevin Warsh signaled a possible future hike, shifting markets to be more data dependent and raising the chance of intermittent profit‑taking.
- Investor flows turned mixed on Friday after the White House said Vice President J.D. Vance delayed follow‑up U.S.–Iran talks and Accenture’s cautious guidance sparked a sharp selloff in Indian IT stocks, underscoring how fragile the rally is to policy and company shocks.