Japanese and South Korean Stocks Close Higher as Kospi Surges Over 3%; SK Hynix and SoftBank Soar 5%

TradingKey - Japanese and South Korean Stocks Close Strongly Higher; KOSPI Surges 3.09%, SK Hynix Soars Over 5% Joining SoftBank in a Major Rally.

During the Asian trading session on October 27, major Japanese and South Korean stock indices closed strongly higher throughout the day. Among them, South Korea's KOSPI triggered a buy-side circuit breaker mechanism during morning trade due to an excessive surge, briefly breaking above 5,700 points. As of the close, the KOSPI rose 3.09%, holding above the 5,600 mark to finish at 5,638.35 points. Industry leader Samsung Electronics ended up 4.23% at 222,000 KRW, while SK Hynix surged 5.18% to close at 1,341,000 KRW.

KOSPI Index Chart, Source: TradingView

The Nikkei 225 Index ended up 1.73% to close at 63,268.32 points. Gains between two major heavyweights showed significant divergence: Kioxia edged up just 0.44% to close at 12,605 JPY, while SoftBank surged 4.95% to finish at 4,474 JPY.

Tonight's earnings report from U.S. stock Seagate (STX) will influence cross-border capital staying power in Japanese and South Korean semiconductor heavyweights. Meanwhile, tomorrow's (October 28) SK Hynix earnings report and conference call—along with official statements on the timeline for the 16 trillion KRW special dividend payout and HBM4 yields—will determine whether today's surge is short-term short covering or the resumption of a medium-term bull market.