▲ This photo, taken April 15, 2026, shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

stocks-morning

Stocks sharply up late Wed. morning amid hopes for U.S.-Iran peace talks

SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shares traded sharply higher late Wednesday morning amid renewed optimism over a second round of possible U.S.-Iran peace talks, with the benchmark index moving above the 6,000-point threshold.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 174.62 points, or 2.93 percent, to 6,142.37 as of 11:20 a.m., hovering above 6,000 for the first time since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel conducted air strikes on Iran.

Investors remain optimistic as Washington and Tehran may hold a second round of peace talks, following an initial round that ended without agreement.

Overnight, U.S. stocks ended higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.66 percent and the Nasdaq Composite gaining 1.96 percent.

Institutional and foreign investors were net buyers, purchasing 86.4 billion won (US$57.9 million) and 425.86 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while retail investors sold a net 687.6 billion won.

Most large-cap stocks advanced.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 3.75 percent, and chip rival SK hynix jumped 4.71 percent.

Top carmaker Hyundai Motor climbed 3.56 percent, and leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries gained 0.42 percent.

Leading steelmaker POSCO Holdings rose 1.73 percent, and flag carrier Korean Air was up 1.42 percent.

Among decliners, Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, fell 1.5 percent, and LIG Defense and Aerospace declined 4.6 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,472.65 won against the greenback at 11:20 a.m., up 8.55 won from the previous session.

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