Seoul stocks open sharply higher on revived AI optimism, SK hynix earnings

South Korean stocks opened significantly higher on Wednesday, mirroring early gains observed on Wall Street. This optimism was driven by impressive earnings from AI-focused semiconductor companies, which boosted investor confidence ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) surged 125.51 points, representing a 2.23% increase, after the prior day's over 3% rally.

Overnight, U.S. markets continued their upward trend, propelled by a rally in AI-related technology shares. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite increased by 1.18%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose by 3.6%, offering a positive outlook for South Korean semiconductor firms. Prior to the market opening, SK hynix, one of the world's leading memory chip manufacturers, reported an astonishing 631% surge in operating profit for the third quarter, reaching 83.33 trillion won.

Sales also skyrocketed by 327.9% to 104.61 trillion won, driven by strong demand for AI memory chips. The company also announced an additional 60 trillion won in shareholder returns. However, investors remained cautious as they awaited the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision early Thursday (Korean time), eagerly awaiting clues about the future direction of U.S. interest rates.