▲ The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index is displayed on a screen inside the dealing room in Hana Bank in central Seoul on Aug. 26, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks closed nearly 1 percent higher Wednesday, boosted by stock repurchases from the country's chip giants and easing external conditions, while investors wait for the earnings release from Nvidia. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 65.47 points, or 0.97 percent, to 6,808.21.

The index continued choppy trading in the early hours but gathered ground as institutional investors turned net buyers.

"The KOSPI has recovered above the 6,800 mark, supported by stock repurchases, while a drop in global oil prices and U.S. Treasury yields helped boost investor sentiment," Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said.

Chip giant SK hynix has been carrying out a stock buyback of around 650,000 shares since last Thursday, along with Samsung Electronics this week.

Investors are also closely following the upcoming earnings release from Nvidia, set to act as a vital barometer for the global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure market.

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