Kospi leaps 1.77% as investors snap up blue chip stocks

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the stock market prices as it opens on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Stocks opened stronger Wednesday as investors snapped up blue chips across the board following overnight gains on Wall Street.

The Kospi climbed up 46.43 points, or 1.77 percent, to 2,669.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1.59 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.69 percent, as tech heavyweights lifted the broader U.S. stock market.

In Seoul, most blue chips advanced. Samsung Electronics surged 3.31 percent and SK hynix jumped 4.27 percent.

Battery shares and energy shares also gained traction. LG Energy Solution rose 3.11 percent and SK Innovation climbed 3.41 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,371.85 won against the greenback, down 6.45 won from the previous session's close.

BY CHOI HAE-JIN, YONHAP [choi.haejin@joongang.co.kr]