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Seoul shares set new record high on eased woes over tough capital gains taxation
South Korean stocks hit a fresh record high Monday, extending their winning streak to a 10th session, as investors cheered the government's decision to scrap a planned capital gains tax hike. The local currency was trading lower against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 11.77 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 3,407.31, surpassing the previous all-time high of 3,395.54 set on Friday. Trade volume was moderate at 374.97 million shares worth 12.53 trillion won (
Sept. 15, 2025 -
Kospi tops 3,400 for first time after tax threshold kept at W5b
South Korea’s benchmark index Kospi surged to a record high on Monday, surpassing the 3,400-point threshold for the first time following the government's decision to maintain the current threshold on capital gains tax. On Monday, the Kospi closed at 3,407.31, up 11.77 points, or 0.35 percent, from the previous session, marking its highest closing level on record. After opening at 3,407.78, the index continued its recent rally and quickly rose to an intraday record high of 3,420.23, before profit
Sept. 15, 2025 -
Seoul shares open higher on chip gains, tax reform plan
South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, driven by chip shares, as the government decided to scrap a plan to lower the threshold of major shareholders subject to the capital gains tax. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 13.6 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,409.14 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI has rallied in recent sessions, with the index reaching a new record high for the third consecutive day Friday, closing at 3,395.54. Foreigners went on a net buying mode, of
Sept. 15, 2025 -
Seoul shares open higher on US rate cut hopes
South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, heading toward a new all-time high, amid growing hopes that the US Federal Reserve may cut its key rates next week following latest US inflation data that came in line with market expectations. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 24.49 points, or 0.73 percent, to 3,368.69 in the first 15 minutes of trading, breaking the record high of 3,344.2 posted the previous day. Overnight, Wall Street gathered ground, with the Dow Jones Industrial A
Sept. 12, 2025 -
Kospi hits new high
South Korean stocks reached a new record high Thursday, extending their winning streak to an eighth session, driven by tech gains and hopes that President Lee Jae Myung may reverse a controversial capital gains tax hike proposal. The local currency was trading lower against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 29.67 points, or 0.9 percent, to close at 3,344.2. It broke the previous all-time high of 3,314.53 posted the previous day. Trade volume was moderate at 430
Sept. 11, 2025 -
Seoul shares open higher on techs, batteries
South Korean stocks opened higher on Thursday, heading to set a new all-time high, as investor sentiment was boosted by overnight gains on Wall Street driven by growing hopes for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve and a rally of artificial intelligence shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 20.16 points, or 0.61 percent, to 3,334.69 in the first 15 minutes of trading, breaking the record high of 3,314.53 posted the previous day. Overnight, the S&P 500 closed 0.3 percent hig
Sept. 11, 2025 -
Seoul shares climb to record high on tax policy hopes
South Korean stocks surged to an all-time high Wednesday, extending their winning streak to a seventh consecutive session on hopes that President Lee Jae Myung may reverse a controversial capital gains tax hike proposal. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 54.48 points, or 1.67 percent, to close at 3,314.53, surpassing the previous record high 3,305.21 set on July 6, 2021. Earlier in the day, the Kospi also briefly surged to 3,317.
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Seoul shares flirt with record high on tax policy hopes
South Korean stocks rose for the seventh consecutive session Wednesday, closing at a new yearly high amid growing expectations that President Lee Jae Myung may reverse a controversial capital gains tax hike proposal. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added points, or 1.67 percent, to close at 3,314.53, surpassing the previous yearly high of 3,305.21 set on July 6. Earlier in the day, the KOSPI also briefly surged to 3,317.77 at 2:23 p.
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Is Lee’s 5,000 goal within reach?
South Korea’s stock market is surging to unprecedented heights as President Lee Jae Myung marks his first 100 days in office, with the benchmark Kospi touching an all-time high Wednesday. The rally is stoking expectations that Lee’s pledge to usher in a “Kospi 5,000” era could be more than rhetoric, as investors bet on the government’s policy support to boost the stock market. During his presidential candidacy, Lee pledged to make the Kospi reach over 5,000 points, eliminating the “Korea discoun
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Kospi breaks 3,300-mark for first time in four years
South Korea’s benchmark stock index Kospi surpassed the 3,300-point threshold for the first time in more than four years during early trading Wednesday. The index opened at 3,272.2, up 12.15 points from the previous session, and quickly exceeded its previous year-high of 3,288.26 set on July 15, climbing as high as 3,306.34 during intraday trading. It was the first time in over four years that the index had risen above the 3,300-point mark. The rally came a day after the Kospi wrapped up trading
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Seoul shares open higher on chip gains, foreign buying
South Korean stocks opened higher on Wednesday, driven by big-cap tech shares, as investor sentiment was boosted by overnight gains on Wall Street amid expectations of the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 28.16 points, or 0.86 percent, to 3,288.21 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Offshore investors were net buyers of local shares, effectively offsetting selling by individual investors. Overnight, US stocks gathered ground as weak jobs
Sept. 10, 2025 -
Seoul shares rise to yearly high on tech gains, tax reform hopes
South Korean stocks rose for a sixth consecutive session to a yearly high Tuesday, led by tech gains, on expectations for the government's market-friendly tax reform measures and the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 40.46 points, or 1.26 percent, to close at 3,260.05, marking its sixth consecutive gain. It was the highest level this year, surpassing the previous record set on July 30, when t
Sept. 9, 2025 -
Seoul shares open higher on US gains, tax reform hope
South Korean stocks opened higher on Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, amid growing expectations of the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut and market-friendly tax reform measures. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 4.88 points, or 0.15 percent, to 3,224.47 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks gathered ground as a weaker-than-expected August jobs report reinforced expectations that the Fed would start reducing rates soon. The Dow Jones Indus
Sept. 9, 2025 -
Seoul stocks extend winning streak to 5th day after US jobs data
Seoul shares closed higher for a fifth straight session Monday as weaker-than-expected US jobs data boosted appetites for risky assets on expectations of US rate cuts. The Korean won rose slightly against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 14.47 points, or 0.45 percent, to close at 3,219.59. Trading volume was moderate at 366.37 million shares worth 8.15 trillion won ($5.9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 542 to 324. Institutions and foreigners bought a
Sept. 8, 2025 -
Seoul shares open higher on tech gains
South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, bucking losses on Wall Street, as technology shares advanced. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 8.06 points, or 0.25 percent, to 3,213.18 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday (US time), US stocks closed lower after the August jobs report came in weaker than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.48 percent to 45,400.86, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite edged down 0.03 percent to 21,700.39. In Seoul, technology
Sept. 8, 2025