Analysis

TradingKey - On October 16, Japanese and South Korean stock markets rebounded following a sharp recent correction. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index closed up 1.39% at 65,324.24 points, but fell 5.37% for the week, marking its largest weekly decline since July 17. South Korea's KOSPI index gained 2.05% to close at 5,668.06 points, but dropped 14.46% on the week, recording its biggest weekly drop since October 2008.

TradingKey - On October 16, Japanese and South Korean stock markets rebounded in early trading, with both opening slightly higher. South Korea's KOSPI Index opened 1.8% higher at 5,653.99 points and was later up 1.77% at 5,652.51 points; Japan's Nikkei 225 Index opened 0.78% higher at 64,925.29 points, with gains subsequently expanding to 0.94% at 65,029.45 points.

TradingKey - On October 15, Japanese and South Korean stock markets suffered a sharp sell-off. South Korea's KOSPI Index closed down 7.57% at 5,554.23 points, with intraday losses extending to 9% at one point and triggering a circuit breaker for the tenth time this year; Japan's Nikkei 225 Index closed down 4.90% at 64,425.90 points.

TradingKey - On October 15, the sell-off in Asian tech stocks escalated further, with South Korea's KOSPI Index extending its intraday decline to over 8%, triggering a circuit breaker and halting stock trading for 20 minutes. This marks the tenth time the South Korean stock market has triggered a circuit breaker this year.

TradingKey - On October 15, Japanese and South Korean stock markets fell sharply in early trading, with South Korean equities experiencing particularly pronounced losses. The Nikkei 225 opened 1.28% lower at 66,880.37 points before extending its decline to 2.39% at 66,124.77 points; the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened 5.59% lower at 5,673.01 points before rebounding to 5,736.59 points, narrowing its drop to 4.53%.

TradingKey - On October 14, Japanese and South Korean stock markets strengthened in early trading before gradually paring gains to both close lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.05% to close at 67,744.24 points, while South Korea's KOSPI Index dropped 0.44% to close at 6,008.82 points. The KOSPI had risen about 2.6% intraday before reversing course to fall back below the 6,000-point mark, marking its sixth consecutive trading session of losses.

TradingKey - On October 14, Japanese and South Korean stock markets rebounded in early trading, with gains in South Korean stocks extending further. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index opened 0.24% higher at 67,942.23 points and subsequently rose 0.21% to 67,921.92 points; South Korea's Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened 0.44% higher at 6,062.08 points, before expanding its gain to 1.75% to reach 6,140.98 points.

TradingKey - On October 13, Japanese and South Korean stock markets fell sharply. South Korea's KOSPI index closed down 5.46% at 6,035.36 points, hitting its lowest closing level since August, after touching an intraday low of 5,911.11 points earlier in the session. Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed down 1.82% at 67,777.47 points.

TradingKey - On October 13, losses in South Korean stocks deepened, with the KOSPI Index extending its intraday drop to over 7% and falling below the 6,000-point mark. Leading semiconductor stocks faced heavy sell-offs, as SK Hynix fell more than 9% and Samsung Electronics dropped over 8%.

TradingKey - On October 13, Japanese and South Korean stock markets weakened in tandem during early trading, with losses in South Korea expanding further. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened down 3.10% at 6,186.08 points, subsequently extending its decline to 4.37% at 6,105.50 points; Japan's Nikkei 225 Index (N225) opened 0.68% lower at 68,564.85 points, later widening its loss to 1.86% at 67,745.61 points.

TradingKey - On October 12, South Korean stocks fell sharply, with the benchmark KOSPI Index closing down 3.65% at 6,384.25 points, falling below the key 6,400-point mark. Japanese stock markets were closed today for a public holiday.

TradingKey - On October 12, South Korean stocks weakened in early trade, with the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opening down 0.72% at 6,578.17 points, before extending its loss to 1.35% at 6,536.77 points. Japanese stock markets were closed for a public holiday.

TradingKey - On October 9, Japanese stocks closed slightly lower, with the Nikkei 225 Index falling 11.19 points, or 0.02%, to 69,030.92. South Korean markets were closed for a holiday, with no trading conducted on the day.

TradingKey - On October 9, Japanese stocks weakened in morning trade, with the Nikkei 225 Index opening down 0.57% at 68,648.50 points before losses widened to 1.03% at 68,330.05 points. Meanwhile, South Korean stock markets were closed for a holiday, with no trading taking place for the day.

TradingKey - On September 30, Japanese and South Korean stock markets diverged, with Japanese stocks strengthening significantly while South Korean equities pulled back slightly. Over the three months ending September 30, the KOSPI fell a cumulative 18.8%, making it one of the worst-performing stock markets globally in the third quarter.

TradingKey - On September 30, Japanese and South Korean stock markets rose in tandem during early trading, with tech stocks showing active performance. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index opened 0.99% higher at 66,128.59 points, with gains later expanding to 1.33% at 66,350.59 points. South Korea's KOSPI Index opened 1.06% higher at 6,943.47 points, and subsequently stood 1.03% higher at 6,941.91 points.

TradingKey - On September 29, Japanese and South Korean stock markets remained weak in afternoon trading as market wait-and-see sentiment mounted. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index (JPN225) closed down 0.60% at 65,481.22 points, while South Korea's KOSPI Index (KOSPI) dropped 0.27% to end at 6,870.82 points.

TradingKey - On September 29, Japanese and South Korean stock markets showed weak performance in early trading. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index (JPN225) opened down 0.49% at 65,557.99 points, later narrowing its decline to 0.37% at 65,636.03 points; South Korea's KOSPI Index opened 0.7% lower at 6,844.41 points, subsequently trimming its drop to 0.25% at 6,872.71 points.

TradingKey - On September 28, Japanese and South Korean stock markets trended lower together, with losses in the South Korean market widening markedly. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed down 2.70% at 6,889.75 points, while Japan's Nikkei 225 Index (JPN225) fell 0.73% to close at 65,877.62 points.

TradingKey - Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS), in which TSMC (TSM) holds a stake, has launched its first 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore. Driven by sustained growth in demand for AI infrastructure, the new fab's capacity has been largely booked by customers around the start of production, leading the company to begin considering the construction of a second wafer fab locally.