Connect with us
DAPA Banner
DAPA Coin
DAPA
COIN PAYMENT ASSET
PRIVACY · BLOCKDAG · HOMOMORPHIC ENCRYPTION · RUST
ElGamal Encrypted MINE DAPA
🚫 GENESIS SOLD OUT
DAPAPAY COMING

Business

Kospi jumps over 8% on Iran peace deal hopes; world’s best-performing market up 94% YTD

Published

on

Kospi jumps over 8% on Iran peace deal hopes; world's best-performing market up 94% YTD
South Korean stocks staged a powerful rally on Friday, with the KOSPI rallying as much as 8.5%, on course to end a volatile week on a high. Improved sentiment was driven by growing optimism over a possible easing of tensions in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran could be reached as early as this weekend.

The benchmark KOSPI jumped 660 points, or 8.5%, to 8,424. The surge helped the index finish the week up 3.2%, reversing some of the damage from the previous week when it had fallen 3.7% amid a sharp global selloff in AI and technology stocks.

Despite the turbulence, the KOSPI remains the world’s top-performing stock index this year. The benchmark has surged 94% so far in 2026, largely powered by a rally in semiconductor stocks tied to the artificial intelligence boom.

Technology heavyweights led Friday’s advance. Samsung Electronics climbed 12.21%, while rival SK Hynix gained 8.85%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution rose 6.11%. Automakers also joined the rally, with Hyundai Motor advancing 6.03% and affiliate Kia Corp adding 4.81%. Steel producer POSCO Holdings gained 6.84%, while Samsung BioLogics edged up 1.01%.

Advertisement

The rebound came after Trump said on Thursday that the United States and Iran could sign a peace agreement as soon as this weekend, a move that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Iran, however, said it had not yet made a final decision on any agreement.


Trump also said discussions with Iran had been elevated to the highest levels of the Iranian leadership and received approval. According to him, key elements of the proposed agreement had been approved “in both concept and great detail” by parties including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt, among others.
Friday’s rally capped a week marked by extreme volatility. The KOSPI triggered “sidecar” trading curbs in four sessions, including Friday. Earlier in the week, circuit breakers were activated for the third time this year and the ninth time on record.Only days earlier, the world’s best-performing equity market had been caught in the global technology rout. AI and semiconductor stocks, the standout winners of 2025 and 2026, came under intense pressure as investors questioned whether the rally had run ahead of underlying fundamentals. The impact was particularly severe in South Korea, one of the markets most exposed to the AI supply chain, with index tumbling as much as 8% in a single session this week.

The pullback came despite a powerful long-term growth story. Demand for AI infrastructure has surged over the past year as technology companies worldwide race to develop advanced AI models and expand computing capacity. That has fuelled robust demand for high-bandwidth memory chips and channeled investor interest into South Korean chipmakers, which occupy a critical position in the global AI supply chain.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Business

Review: Il Santo settles in to the neighbourhood

Published

on

Review: Il Santo settles in to the neighbourhood

REVIEW: Some familiar names are delivering a new go-to venue in Claremont.

Continue Reading

Business

The Gabelli Dividend Growth Fund Q1 2026 Commentary

Published

on

Auxier Spring 2026 Market Commentary (Mutual Fund:AUXFX)

The Gabelli Dividend Growth Fund Q1 2026 Commentary

Continue Reading

Business

Meta’s AI Spending Looks Insane Until You See What It Is Building

Published

on

Meta's AI Spending Looks Insane Until You See What It Is Building

This article was written by

Bashar is a financial analyst writing on Seeking Alpha, focused on growth stocks, contrarian setups, and market mispricing. His research looks for companies where consensus is missing a shift in earnings power, competitive positioning, or industry structure. Bashar does not invest personally in the stocks he covers.

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Business

Enliven Therapeutics, Inc. (ELVN) Discusses Updated Phase 1 ENABLE Trial Data for ELVN-001 in Previously Treated Chronic Myeloid Leukemia – Slideshow (NASDAQ:ELVN) 2026-06-12

Published

on

OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

This article was written by

Seeking Alpha’s transcripts team is responsible for the development of all of our transcript-related projects. We currently publish thousands of quarterly earnings calls per quarter on our site and are continuing to grow and expand our coverage. The purpose of this profile is to allow us to share with our readers new transcript-related developments. Thanks, SA Transcripts Team

Continue Reading

Business

US Navy heads to Garden Island as UK minister quits over funding

Published

on

US Navy heads to Garden Island as UK minister quits over funding

The US has confirmed it will commence support activities, including stationing personnel at HMAS Stirling, later this year, as the full launch of SRF-West nears.

Continue Reading

Business

There’s a New Stock to Play the AI Power Boom, and It’s Down Today

Published

on

There’s a New Stock to Play the AI Power Boom, and It’s Down Today

There’s a New Stock to Play the AI Power Boom, and It’s Down Today

Continue Reading

Business

Joondalup beckons for North Melbourne after years of struggles

Published

on

Joondalup beckons for North Melbourne after years of struggles

ANALYSIS: North Melbourne should use its three-year lucrative tourism deal with the state government to plan a permanent move to WA’s booming northern corridor.

Continue Reading

Business

BPCL, HPCL, IOCL shares rally up to 4% as oil prices hit two-month low. What are experts saying?

Published

on

BPCL, HPCL, IOCL shares rally up to 4% as oil prices hit two-month low. What are experts saying?
Shares of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited gained up to 4.5% on Friday after crude oil prices hit a two-month low as the US and Iran moved closer to a peace deal.

HPCL shares gained 3.5% to their day’s high of Rs 379 on the BSE, while IOCL shares rallied 3% to Rs 138 per share. BPCL soared the most, up 4.5% to Rs 295.

US President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran could be reached as early as this weekend. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had called off the strikes after discussions with Iran were elevated to the highest levels of the Iranian leadership and received approval. He said key points of a proposed agreement had been approved “in both concept and great detail” by parties including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt, among others.

Brent crude futures fell $1.21, or 1.3%, to $89.17 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped $1.23, or 1.4%, to $86.48 a barrel. Brent crude fell nearly 2% at the open to as low as $88.79 per barrel after settling at a two-month low in the previous session. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude traded near $86 a barrel.

Advertisement

Downstream or oil marketing stocks usually come under pressure when oil prices rise as their input costs increase sharply while their ability to pass these costs on remains limited. These companies buy crude at higher prices, refine it and sell the end products, but pricing is often regulated, restricting full cost pass-through to consumers. As a result, margins get squeezed when product prices do not rise in line with crude.

What are experts saying?

Even if a deal is reached, analysts believe it could take several months for oil shipments through the strait to fully normalise and for damaged energy infrastructure to be repaired.


Last month, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned that disruptions in Hormuz could delay stability in global oil markets until 2027, with nearly 100 million barrels of oil supply per week potentially impacted. Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest oil producer.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley said the oil market was in “a race against time,” cautioning that the factors preventing crude prices from rising further may weaken if the Strait of Hormuz remains shut through June.The brokerage added that higher US crude exports and softer demand from China have so far helped prevent a deeper supply shock. However, it warned that an extended closure of Hormuz could tighten global supplies again if disruptions continue beyond what the US and China can comfortably absorb.

Iran has effectively enforced a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz since early March, requiring ships to obtain clearance before passing through the route or risk being targeted. The restrictions were imposed after US and Israeli strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior leaders.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints, with roughly 20% of global oil supply moving through the passage before the conflict. Iran’s blockade has sharply reduced crude exports from the Middle East, leading to what has been described as one of the largest supply disruptions in history.

Advertisement

Sensex, Nifty today: Catch all the LIVE stock market action here
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Continue Reading

Business

AMG Veritas Global Real Return Fund Q1 2026 Commentary

Published

on

AMG Veritas Global Real Return Fund Q1 2026 Commentary

AMG Veritas Global Real Return Fund Q1 2026 Commentary

Continue Reading

Business

7 Industrial Stocks to Buy and 1 to Avoid

Published

on

7 Industrial Stocks to Buy and 1 to Avoid

7 Industrial Stocks to Buy and 1 to Avoid

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025