Japan and South Korea Stocks Rebound in Early Trading as Kospi Gains Over 1.7%, Samsung Rises Over 3%, SK Hynix Gains Nearly 3%

TradingKey - On October 14, Japanese and South Korean stock markets rebounded in morning trading, with gains in South Korea's stock market expanding further. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index opened up 0.24% at 67,942.23 points and subsequently rose 0.21% to 67,921.92 points; the South Korean KOSPI Index opened up 0.44% at 6,062.08 points, with gains later broadening to 1.75% to reach 6,140.98 points.

Source: TradingView

South Korean semiconductor leaders rebounded noticeably in early trading. Samsung Electronics rose 3.34% to 240,000 won (approx. $179); SK Hynix gained 2.84% to 1.484 million won. In the Japanese market, SoftBank Group rose 2.41% to 5,438 yen (approx. $34); Kioxia gained 2.24% to 15,520 yen.

Overnight, the three major U.S. stock indices closed lower across the board, with the memory chip sector showing weakness. Micron Technology (MU) and SK Hynix both fell more than 3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.35% to 51,670.10; the S&P 500 Index dipped 0.02% to 7,805.45; the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.15% to 27,204.38. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index closed down about 0.3%.

However, performance within the U.S. semiconductor sector was mixed. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Qualcomm (QCOM) both rose over 1%; optical communications stocks were mixed, with Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) dropping over 2%, Lumentum (LITE) falling 0.75%, and Corning (GLW) gaining 0.85%.