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Kospi edges up 0.66% for 3rd day on U.S. rate cut hope

Published: 27 Nov. 2025, 19:54

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi closing at 3986.91 points on Nov. 27, up 26.04 points, or 0.66 percent, from the previous trading session. [NEWS1]

Korean stocks closed higher for a third consecutive session Thursday, boosted by hopes for a rate cut in the United States. The local currency was trading almost unchanged against the dollar.

The Kospi added 26.04 points, or 0.66 percent, to close at 3,986.91.

Trade volume was moderate at 251.6 million shares worth 12.85 trillion won ($8.77 billion), with winners outpacing decliners 482 to 389.

Foreigners and institutions purchased a net 149.6 billion won and 431.9 billion won worth of local shares, respectively, while individuals offloaded a net 609.3 billion won.

The Kospi had opened sharply higher, climbing more than 1 percent, to track overnight gains on Wall Street.

On Wednesday in the United States, stocks closed broadly higher, extending their winning streak to a fourth day as investors anticipated a possible easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 rose 0.7 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8 percent.

A screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul shows the Kospi closing at 3986.91 points on Nov. 27, up 26.04 points, or 0.66 percent, from the previous trading session. [NEWS1]

However, the Seoul market later pared its earlier gains as the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged amid what analysts interpreted as a more hawkish tone from policymakers.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) kept the key rate steady at 2.5 percent and raised the economic growth forecast for the country to 1 percent for 2025.

"The BOK's rate freeze and expectations of a U.S. rate cut in December helped attract foreign funds into both the spot and futures markets, supporting a rebound in the index," said Lee Jae-won, an analyst at Shinhan Securities.

Most large-cap shares traded mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.68 percent to 103,500 won and its chipmaking rival SK hynix jumped 3.82 percent to 544,000 won on eased AI bubble fears.

Passersby walk across Naver’s headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 27. Naver and Dunamu, operator of Upbit, were set to unveil their vision for a planned group merger during a joint press conference at Naver's office. [YONHAP]

No. 1 internet company Naver shed 4.55 percent to 251,500 won after Dunamu, the operator of Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, announced that it suffered a massive hacking attack. Naver announced the acquisition of Dunamu the previous day.

Leading biotech firm Samsung Biologics fell 0.3 percent to 1.65 million won, and major banking group KB Financial Group went down 0.8 percent to 123,700 won.

The local currency was quoted at 1,464.75 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., down 0.06 percent from the previous session’s 1465.6 won.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, ended lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys added 11.8 basis points to 3.013 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds increased 11.3 basis points to 3.197 percent.

Yonhap