▲ Traders work inside the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul on Aug. 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks opened sharply higher Thursday as Nvidia's market estimate-beating strong earnings helped ease woes over a slowdown in demand for semiconductors.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 159.24 points, or 2.34 percent, to 6,967.45.

Overnight, major stock indexes on Wall Street closed lower, with the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq inching down 0.02 percent and 0.08 percent, respectively.

Nvidia's second-quarter earnings, revealed after the closing bell, eased fears of an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble, as the company's sales more than doubled from a year earlier, topping Wall Street expectations.

The company said it expects its fiscal 2028 income to grow by 70 percent, also topping analyst expectations.

Investors are also keeping an eye on the Bank of Korea's rate decision to be made later in the day.

Most market heavyweights were trading higher.

Top-cap Samsung Electronics advanced 3.06 percent, while its industry rival SK hynix rose 4.15 percent.

Battery maker LG Energy Solutions climbed 3.85 percent, defense giant Hanwha Aerospace was up 2.39 percent, and top carmaker Hyundai Motor dipped 0.25 percent,

The Korean won was trading at 1,384.8 won against the U.S. dollar, up 1.5 won from the close of the previous stock trading session.

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