South Korean shares rise on Nvidia chip boost; BOK in focus

South Korean financial markets experienced a rise on Thursday, driven by gains in chipmakers amid strong demand forecasts from US rival Nvidia. The Bank of Korea raised interest rates, a move that drew significant attention. The KOSPI index climbed 83.00 points, or 1.22%, to 6,894.25 as of 0104 GMT, reaching its highest level since August 18.

Nvidia had earlier forecast a 70% increase in revenue for the next fiscal year, highlighting persistent demand for AI computing while acknowledging ongoing shortages of memory components. The Bank of Korea increased its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.00%, marking the second consecutive hike amid persistent inflation above target levels and ongoing financial stability risks.

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song was scheduled to address reporters at 0210 GMT. Among notable index components, Samsung Electronics gained 1.43%, while SK Hynix increased 2.37%. Battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution surged 3.42%, whereas Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp experienced declines of 1.96% and 1.52%, respectively. POSCO Holdings saw a rise of 3.20%, while Samsung BioLogics declined 0.50%.

Out of 905 traded issues, 352 advanced, and 501 declined. Foreign investors netted a purchase of shares worth 73.3 billion won ($53.21 million). The South Korean won was trading at 1,377.6 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, a 0.63% increase from its previous close at 1,386.3. On the money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds slipped by 0.11 point to 103.21, with the yield on the three-year Korean treasury bond rising by 3.7 basis points to 3.854%, while the benchmark 10-year yield climbed by 3.9 basis points to 4.311%.