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Kospi opens higher on tech, battery gains

Published: 03 Sep. 2025, 10:32

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi opening on Sept. 3. [NEWS1]

Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, bucking an overnight decline on Wall Street, as foreign investors went bargain hunting for a second consecutive session.

The Kospi rose 9.9 points, or 0.31 percent, to 3,182.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, Wall Street's three major indexes lost ground, led by losses in big tech companies, including AI chip maker Nvidia.

Investors are paying attention to the U.S. federal appeals court's upcoming ruling over President Trump's sweeping tariffs and the August employment data set to be released Friday (U.S. time).

In Seoul, tech, defense and battery makers led the gains.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics added 0.43 percent and rival SK hynix inched up 0.1 percent.

Major battery maker LG Energy Solution moved up 0.57 percent, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace advanced 1.61 percent.

The local currency was quoted at 1,395.3 won against the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.31 percent from the previous session's quote of 1,391.0 won.

Yonhap