Korea Market Insights

Good Friday morning, October 2, 2026. Overnight in New York, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.342 percent intraday—the highest level in 24 years since April 2002. Stocks fell early, but reversed to positive across all three major indices as yields retreated. Semiconductors were even stronger. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 1.59 percent, with SK Hynix American Depositary Shares (ADRs) up 5.08 percent . The KOSPI Index, meanwhile, already closed yesterday at 6,971.35, up 1.95 percent. Today's Korean market opens in the tension between whether additional tailwind follows yesterday's semiconductor gains or whether the 24-year high in rates weighs on sentiment. U.S. market heatmap, October 1 (finviz): Green marks gainers, red marks decliners U.S. three major indices close slightly positive after intraday selloff October 1 (U.S. time) closing figures: Index Close Pct Change Intraday Low Dow 50,926.56 +0.04% — S&P 500 7,666.45 +0.19% 7,616.7...

Microstrategy stock rose 4.48% on October 1st, trading near $159.96 during the session, up from Wednesday's close of $153.09. The company now operates as Strategy (ticker: MSTR), though its distinction as a public firm holding the largest Bitcoin treasury remains unchanged. Attributing today's move to a single driver proves difficult. Softer-than-expected US inflation readings and Bitcoin strength both feature in explanations, along with a B. Riley price-target increase announced the previous day. The following details what can be verified. Where Microstrategy Stands After Today Market cap stands near $63.8 billion. Trading volume exceeded 13 million shares; mid-September daily average was around 23 million shares, and intraday totals could grow before the close. While today's move is substantial, it trails the 52-week high of $365.21 by more than half—56% below the peak. The one-year return stands at -52.74%; year-to-date performance is +5.26%. The weekly cha...

Josung Engineering closed at KRW 239,500 on October 1, up 3.01% from the previous day. It topped out at KRW 244,500 intraday and is within striking distance of its 52-week high of KRW 250,500. Market capitalization has crossed KRW 11 trillion. The puzzle: the company posted an operating loss of KRW 5.6 billion in the first half of 2026. A company that isn't making money now carries a valuation of KRW 11 trillion. This article examines how that math works. Two days. Two different catalysts. September 29: up 6.22%. September 30: up 4.73%. October 1: up 3.01%. In four days, the stock moved from KRW 209,000 to KRW 239,500—a 14.6% gain. What's instructive is that each day's rally rested on different news. On September 30, Elon Musk told a Washington conference that SpaceX aims to produce 200 gigawatts of solar capacity annually, in partnership with Tesla. Korean solar-related stocks moved together, and Josung rode that wave. A day later, the catalyst shifted to ...

The KOSPI index closed Wednesday at 6,971.35, up 133.31 points, or 1.95% . Yet retail investors were net sellers of KRW 1.43 trillion. How did the benchmark climb when the largest domestic player was heading for the exits? The answer lies in who had bigger orders. Institutional investors reversed course to net buy KRW 334.8 billion, while other corporations swept up KRW 1.65 trillion. Foreign investors sold for the fifth consecutive session but at a declining pace—KRW 548.1 billion, less than half the recent daily average. The index fell 1.07% midday. What turned it around? KOSPI opened 0.34% lower and weakened further. By late morning it had tumbled to 6,765.06, marking an intraday trough of -1.07%. Sentiment shifted during late morning. The index climbed back through 6,900 in the afternoon, pared losses, and closed near the day's high. The swing from trough to close exceeded 3%. The catalyst arrived from the U.S. Micron Technology reported fiscal 2026 Q4 results: ...

You can work for over a year—fourteen months, say—and walk away with zero severance pay. The employer isn't withholding it. The law excludes you. If you believed one year of employment was the only requirement, there's a second condition that can disqualify you entirely. Based on Ministry of Employment and Labor and government legal resources as of October 1, 2026. Here's who qualifies, who doesn't, the payment amount, and when it arrives. Compiled by author. One year of work. Zero severance. South Korea's Retirement Benefits Security Act sets a narrow eligibility gate: continuous employment of one year or longer, and a 4-week average of at least 15 hours per week of stipulated working hours . Miss either condition and you receive nothing. The first condition is strict. "One year" means 365 calendar days. Work 364 days and you forfeit it entirely. A one-day difference. If your employer controls your departure date, this threshold is worth...

Wednesday brought divergent signals from Wall Street. Headline indices appeared muted—except the Dow, which fell 443.87 points, or -0.86%, closing at 50,906.05 . The Nasdaq, by contrast, rose 0.24%, creating a split within the same session. Two forces drove the rift. First, inflation. August core PCE came in at 3.0%, below the expected 3.3%, pushing October rate-hike odds to 37% from above 70% just a week prior. But long-dated Treasuries moved the opposite direction: the 30-year yield climbed to 5.64% and the 10-year to 5.29%. While near-term rate-hike fears eased, longer-term borrowing costs climbed. After the close, Micron delivered the session's headline: quarterly revenue of $54.23 billion, up from $11.32 billion a year ago. That move will likely set the tone for Korean semiconductor stocks today. S&P 500 sector heat map, September 30 close. Green indicates gains; red, declines. (finviz) U.S. Markets: Dow Trails as Tech Holds Wednesday's close: Index Clo...

September's property tax payment deadline expires today, September 30 . Miss it and you'll face a 3% late fee —the same penalty whether you're one day late or one month late. If your notice is still unopened, now is the time to act. But there's a crucial threshold that determines how much the penalties will ultimately cost you. One number determines whether the fee stays fixed or compounds over time. Property tax notice on the WeThax portal, Korea's tax administration system (Ministry of Interior and Safety) Miss the deadline and 3% is added immediately. After that, one number determines everything. Under Korean tax law, miss the deadline shown on your notice and you owe 3% of the tax amount as a late fee. One day overdue or ten days overdue—it's the same 3%. The split comes next. If your tax bill is 450,000 KRW or higher , an additional penalty accumulates: 0.66% per month after the deadline, compounding for up to 60 months. Amounts below 450...

KOSPI ended today at 6,838.04, down 32.77 points, or -0.48% , from the prior session. On the surface, it looks like a routine pullback. But the intraday picture was entirely different. Shortly after the open, the index rallied to 6,965.64—a gain of 94.83 points, or +1.38% from yesterday's close. In less than half a trading day, that 127-point swing vanished. The market pivoted twice in one session. KOSPI intraday path, Sept. 30. Source: aggregated from Infostock market data The culprit wasn't in Seoul Domestic news can't explain the reversal. The real pressure came from across the Pacific. Overnight, U.S. 30-year Treasury yields climbed to 5.621%, the highest level since June 2002—nearly 24 years ago. The 10-year yield also reached 5.294%, the highest since June 2007. The cause is straightforward: U.S. government spending isn't declining, and companies building AI infrastructure continue heavy borrowing. More bonds are being issued than purchased, so pric...

New York markets closed lower for the fourth straight day on September 29: the Dow fell 0.26%, the S&P 500 declined 0.16%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.09%. The selloff, though, was more of a tremor than a shock. The real story unfolded in bonds. The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.62% intraday—its highest level in 24 years. Meanwhile, semiconductor and AI-related stocks diverged by name. Oracle held momentum from a 7% surge in the four prior trading sessions, while Marvell Technology rose over 4% after analysts raised their price target to $330. As yields climbed, individual names moved in different directions—a dynamic that could easily bleed into Korean equities today. U.S. market heatmap (S&P 500 sectors) from overnight—green indicates gains, red indicates declines (finviz.com) Three major indexes lower for fourth day, yet declines narrowed The Dow closed at 51,349.92, down 131.59 points (0.26%), the S&P 500 finished at 7,670.84 (down 0.16%)...