The benchmark KOSPI climbed 1.57% to around 5,139 on Monday, snapping a losing streak after touching nine-month lows, as investors balanced broad gains across Asian markets against persistent concerns over technology shares. Regional equities started higher, following Friday’s advance on Wall Street, but upside momentum was constrained by uncertainty surrounding Nvidia Corp., which has begun investigating allegations that CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by Chinese spies.
Market participants also remained cautious ahead of fresh guidance from the Federal Reserve on the future path of US monetary policy. At the same time, easing geopolitical tensions lent some support: Brent crude slipped 0.4% to about USD 97.90 per barrel after Trump indicated further US strikes on Iran were unlikely if nuclear negotiations made progress.
Among major KOSPI constituents, Samsung Electronics gained 1.96%, SK Hynix rose 2.65%, and Samsung Biologics added 1.19%, while LG Energy Solution fell 1.93% and Hyundai Motor declined 1.43%.
