US President Trump threatened to bomb Iranian infrastructure if attacks on Red Sea shipping continue, escalating tensions. This coincides with Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea and mixed Q2 earnings from major tech firms like Alphabet, Tesla, and IBM.
Seoul stocks closed higher for a second day, driven by an extended chip rally, but pared some gains as investors awaited upcoming second-quarter earnings releases from major U.S. tech companies like Alphabet, which is expected to report Wednesday.
South Korean stocks opened sharply higher, with the KOSPI up 5.96%, driven by semiconductor gains from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Investors await upcoming earnings reports from major tech companies like Alphabet Inc., which will influence sustained market momentum.
Asian shares, particularly in Japan and South Korea, surged Thursday driven by strong earnings from U.S. chipmakers Qualcomm and Micron Technology. Oil prices fell as the U.S. and Iran negotiate, while Wall Street saw mixed results with tech losses offset by other sectors.
South Korea's KOSPI index briefly surpassed 8,000 points, driven by optimism in AI and strong tech earnings, marking a 90% surge since the start of the year.
US President Donald Trump will bring a scaled-back group of chief executive officers with him on a trip to Beijing next week, reflecting limited expectations for a summit that may be overshadowed by the war on Iran. The White House considered inviting about a dozen business leaders on the May 14-15 trip, compared with the 29 high-profile executives on Trump’s last visit in 2017, Reuters said, citing unidentified people briefed on preparations. Nvidia, Apple and Boeing are among the companies...
Major hyperscalers like Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon are aggressively increasing AI infrastructure spending despite rising hardware costs, signaling strong demand. Investors are increasingly scrutinizing whether this expenditure translates into revenue growth.
US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $490 million in net outflows over three days (April 13-15, 2026), reversing a two-week inflow trend and signaling diminished institutional demand. Bitcoin failed to reclaim the $78,000 level while the S&P 500 hit record highs. However, analysts argue rising inflation eroding real yields on fixed income will likely fuel demand for scarce assets like Bitcoin, with $3.3 billion in net inflows since March providing longer-term support.
No rate cuts are coming any time soon, Big Tech earnings gave AI bulls more to work with, and Meta is back in crypto payments with USDC creator payouts.
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft all beat earnings expectations, as they reported on Wednesday, but Alphabet stood out, with its shares jumping 7% in extended trading on strong cloud growth.
Seoul stocks traded higher late Thursday morning, with the KOSPI rising 0.34% to 6,713.81, extending gains to a third consecutive day after closing at a new peak of 6,690.90 the previous day. Strong earnings from Samsung Electronics and US tech giants Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft fueled hopes for a continued AI boom. Samsung Electronics rose 0.22% after posting record quarterly earnings, while SK hynix advanced 1.39% and Doosan Robotics spiked 8.02% on Nvidia cooperation news. However, Hyundai Motor fell 2.52% and LG Energy Solution lost 1.59% due to EV market slowdown.
Seoul stocks opened at a fresh high of over 6,700 as investors bet chip demand will remain solid following strong earnings from Samsung Electronics and U.S. tech giants. The KOSPI rose 19.51 points (0.29%) to 6,710.41, extending gains to a third consecutive day after closing at a new peak of 6,690.90 the previous day. Samsung posted record quarterly earnings, fueling hopes the AI sector will continue to drive growth.
Seoul stocks opened at a fresh high of 6,739.39, up 0.72%, driven by strong earnings from Samsung and U.S. tech giants including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, reviving hopes for continued AI demand. The KOSPI extended gains to a third consecutive day, while oil prices spiked after Trump said he would not lift Iran's naval blockade until a nuclear deal is secured.
Jim Cramer previews a pivotal market day with the Federal Reserve expected to hold interest rates followed by Chair Powell's news conference, then major tech earnings from Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. Also covering Seagate's strong quarter driven by AI demand, Starbucks' turnaround progress, Robinhood's crypto-related miss, Visa's resilient consumer spending, and Biogen's Leqembi growth.
Bitcoin is up 14% this month and on track for its fourth consecutive weekly gain, trading around $76,200. The $82,000 CME gap, Magnificent Seven earnings, and the Federal Reserve's policy meeting this week represent key catalysts that could determine whether the rally continues or stalls.
Seoul stocks closed at a record high Tuesday with the KOSPI rising 0.39% to 6,641.02, boosted by anticipation for major US tech company earnings. The index briefly topped 6,700 points before trimming gains. Foreign and retail investors sold a combined 315.2 billion won while institutional buyers purchased 351.5 billion won. Samsung Electronics fell 1.11% while Hyundai Motor jumped 5.92% and Samsung SDI surged 7.09%. The won fell to 1,474.1 against the dollar.
The KOSPI index reached a record high of 6,641.02 on Tuesday, driven by optimism surrounding upcoming U.S. tech earnings. While institutional investors were net buyers, the Korean won depreciated against the U.S. dollar.
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SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks closed at a new record high Tuesday, bo...
Seoul stocks briefly surpassed the 6,700-point mark Tuesday, setting a new intraday high as large-cap tech shares rallied ahead of first-quarter earnings from U.S. Magnificent 7 companies including Apple, Microsoft and Meta. The KOSPI index hovered above the threshold around 10:00 a.m., building on Monday's close of 6,615.03 points. Wall Street closed mixed overnight amid uncertainty over U.S. President Trump's meeting regarding stalled peace talks with Iran.
Seoul's KOSPI index opened at a record high of 6,656.05 points, up 0.62%, as investors await earnings from U.S. tech giants including Alphabet, Microsoft and Apple. Meanwhile, oil prices remain elevated above $100/barrel amid ongoing Middle East tensions, with Iran reassessing diplomacy with the U.S. and Israel.
Seoul stocks opened higher on Tuesday with KOSPI up 0.48% to 6,646.8, driven by optimism ahead of earnings from U.S. tech giants including Alphabet and Meta. Wall Street's S&P500 and Nasdaq closed at new highs as investors adopted a wait-and-see approach before Magnificent 7 earnings. Meanwhile, oil prices remain above $100 per barrel at three-week highs amid extended Middle East crisis and diplomatic efforts involving the U.S., Iran, and Russia.
Market update covering AI infrastructure stock pullbacks with Nvidia poised for record close, Amazon-OpenAI partnership expansion following Microsoft's amended agreement with OpenAI, Eli Lilly's $2.3B acquisition of Ajax Therapeutics, and a packed week of big tech earnings from Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta. Leerink cut Lilly's price target to $1,058 from $1,296 due to competitive pressures on oral GLP-1 Foundayo.
Seoul's KOSPI index closed at a record high of 6,615.03, up 2.15%, driven by AI-related rally in semiconductor and power equipment stocks. Analysts cite anticipation over upcoming Q1 earnings from major tech companies including Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft.
