Home > Business > Economy

Kospi opens sharply higher despite overnight U.S. losses

Published: 02 Dec. 2025, 10:10

The dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul on Dec. 2 [YONHAP]

Korean stocks opened sharply higher Tuesday, jumping nearly 1 percent, despite overnight U.S. losses.

The Kospi added 38.52 points, or 0.98 percent, to 3,958.89 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, Wall Street gave back some of last week's rally as Bitcoin fell again. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.5 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was 0.2 percent lower.

In Seoul, most-large cap shares traded higher.

Chip giant Samsung Electronics increased 0.89 percent, and rival SK hynix gained 2.61 percent.

Carmakers were among the gainers, with No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor jumping 4.91 percent and Kia adding 2.89 percent.

In contrast, defense giant Hanwha Aerospace decreased 2.71 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution was unchanged.

The local currency was trading at 1,472.15 won against the greenback as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.15 percent from the previous session’s 1,469.9 won.

Yonhap