South Korea’s Kospi hit a fresh record high Thursday, as the region tracked gains on Wall Street and several bourses in Asia resumed trading after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Kospi index jumped more than 3% to a fresh record high, closing at 5,677.25, with index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix up 4.86% and 1.59%, respectively. The South Korean won weakened about 0.2% to trade around 1,446.3 against the dollar.
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday after a court found him guilty of leading an insurrection during his unsuccessful attempt to declare martial law in December 2024.
The investment bank forecasts 120% earnings growth for Korean equity markets in 2026, after rising 36% in 2025.
The Nikkei 225 jumped 323.99 points, or 0.6%, to 57,467.83.
In other markets
In Hong Kong and Shanghai, markets remained shuttered for the Lunar New Year
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index gained 62.98 points, or 1.3%, to 5,001.28.
In Taiwan, the Taiex popped 532.74 points, or 1.6%, to 33,605.71.
In Australia, the ASX pumped higher 79.18 points, or 0.9%, to 9,986,17.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 charged ahead 197.18 points, or 1.5%, to 13,444.20.
