South Korea’s Kospi hit a new record high on Thursday as the region followed gains on Wall Street and several Asian bourses resumed trading after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Kospi index jumped 2.84% to a new record high, with index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix up 4.14% and 1.48%, respectively.
“After nearly doubling in 2025, Korea is once again the leading market in the Asia-Pacific region,” Goldman Sachs wrote in a recent note. “While many investors are wondering if they should reduce positions after such strong results, we think it is still too early.”
The investment bank predicts 120% growth for Korean stock markets in 2026, after rising 36% in 2025, SEEbiz reports.
Small-cap Kosdaq advanced 4.68%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.93%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.72%, while the Topix rose 1.12%.
