S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
The benchmark KOSPI fell more than 1% to around 7,300 on Thursday, pulling back from record highs as investors locked in profits following the previous session’s sharp rally. Among heavyweight stocks, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix declined 0.8% and 1.2%, respectively, while SK Square (-2.3%), LG Energy Solution (-3.1%), Hanwha Aerospace (-4.0%), and LS Electric (-5.6%) also recorded notable losses. The retreat came despite easing concerns over the Middle East conflict, helping improve global risk appetite and lifting Wall Street to fresh record highs overnight. Meanwhile, tech shares remained supported by continued optimism surrounding AI-driven semiconductor demand after South Korea’s first-quarter exports hit a record high, with chip shipments soaring 139% year-on-year. Additional support also came from government plans to launch a 600 billion won fund to support AI and high-tech industries.
