Seoul shares open at a fresh high on Samsung, strong earnings from U.S. big techs

▲ The dealing room at Woori Bank in Seoul on April 29, 2026 (Yonhap)

stocks-open

Seoul shares open at a fresh high on Samsung, strong earnings from U.S. big techs

SEOUL, April 30 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks opened higher Thursday at a fresh high of over 6,700 as investors bet that chip demand will remain solid amid strong earnings from Samsung and U.S. big tech giants.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 48.49 points, or 0.72 percent, to a fresh high of 6,739.39, at the opening bell.

On Wednesday, the KOSPI closed at a fresh high of 6,690.90, extending its gains to a third consecutive day.

Overnight, major U.S. indexes closed mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.57 percent and the S&P 500 losing 0.04 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.04 percent.

The mixed results came as international oil prices rallied after U.S. President Donald Trump said he will not lift a naval blockade of Iran until a nuclear deal is secured with Tehran, while investors were keeping an eye on earnings reports by tech giants, including Alphabet , Amazon.com, Meta Platforms and Microsoft.

After the U.S. markets closed, all four companies reported stronger-than-expected revenue in the first quarter, reviving hopes for a continued artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

The Brent crude price, an international oil benchmark, spiked 6.1 percent to US$118.03 per barrel, and the WTI price also jumped 6.95 percent to $106.88 per barrel.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved