South Korea’s KOSPI rebounds after opening more than 3% lower

The KOSPI opened 3.17% lower and fell to 5,488.41 during the session, after having closed higher the previous Friday.[1][2] It later reversed course, finishing up 99.96 points, or 1.76%, at 5,768.01.[2] YTN reported that the index opened more than 3% lower and fell below 5,500.[1] The reversal means the closing result differed sharply from the early move, an important distinction for readers tracking the market’s daily performance.[1][2]

YTN attributed pressure on the Korean market to renewed U.S. concerns about the profitability of AI investment, and said the country’s semiconductor-heavy market was being hit by those concerns.[1] Yonhap reported that investors were weighing whether heavy spending on AI infrastructure would generate sufficient returns.[2] Moneycontrol’s headline linked the chip selloff to concerns about the DeepSeek model and funding.[3] These reports describe investor concerns, not a demonstrated outcome for AI infrastructure returns.[2][3]

Yonhap attributed the market’s rebound to institutional buying and reported that institutions bought a net 574.66 billion won, or $432 million, in shares.[2] Foreign investors sold a net 37.87 billion won, while retail investors sold a net 1.09 trillion won.[2] YTN reported that foreign and institutional investors were buying and individual investors were selling as of 9:30 a.m.[1] The reports therefore offer different snapshots of investor flows: an early-morning update and full-session net figures.[1][2]

Samsung Electronics closed up 1.16% at 218,000 won, and SK hynix rose 0.39% to 1.28 million won.[2] Moneycontrol reported that both stocks had fallen more than 4% before paring losses.[3] The Economic Times said semiconductor shares remained weak while automakers, battery makers and select heavyweight stocks gained.[4] Investors were also cautious ahead of earnings reports due that week from Tesla and Meta Platforms, the November 3 U.S. midterm elections and continued uncertainty about the interest-rate outlook.[2]