Renewed Hopes for Peace Talks... KOSPI Recovers 6000 Points After a Month and a Half (Comprehensive)

Expectations Rise for Renewed US-Iran Peace Talks

SK Hynix Shares Surge Over 7% Ahead of Earnings Announcement

On April 14, with expectations for the resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran, the domestic stock market rose more than 3%, recovering the 6000 mark during trading. An employee is monitoring the stock market and exchange rates in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI opened at 5960.00, up 151.38 points (2.61%) from the previous trading day, and the KOSDAQ opened at 1120.61, up 20.77 points (1.89%). Photo by Jo Yongjun

As the possibility of renewed negotiations to end the war between the United States and Iran increases, the KOSPI has recovered the 6000-point level for the first time in one and a half months.

KOSPI Recovers the 6000-Point Mark for the First Time in One and a Half Months

On April 14, the KOSPI opened at 5,960, up 2.61% from the previous trading day, and continued to climb, surpassing 6,000 at around 10:12 a.m. This is the first time since February 27, just before the outbreak of the war between the United States and Iran, that the KOSPI has regained the 6,000 level. At the same time, the KOSDAQ was trading at 1,124.59, up 2.25%.

The KRW-USD exchange rate opened at 1,478.8 won, down 10.5 won from the previous trading day, and was trading at 1,480.7 won as of 10:18 a.m.

The expectation of renewed negotiations between the United States and Iran led to gains across the New York stock indices, which in turn influenced the Korean stock market. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.63%, the S&P 500 Index gained 1.02%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 1.23%, each compared to the previous trading day.

The stock market rally was also supported by comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who told reporters at the White House the previous day that "(We) have received contact from (the Iranian side)" and "they are very eager to reach an agreement." In addition, reports by U.S. media that the United States and Iran have been engaged in behind-the-scenes talks positively affected the market.

Expectations for an end to the conflict have spurred risk-on sentiment, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rising 1.68%, marking its ninth consecutive day of gains. SanDisk surged 11.83%, while Micron climbed 1.42% and Broadcom rose 2.21%, with most major semiconductor companies posting stock price increases.

SK Hynix Jumps 7%, Leading KOSPI's Rebound

This positive sentiment extended to the Korean stock market, with semiconductor blue chips driving the KOSPI's gains. As of 10:09 a.m., SK Hynix was trading at 1,118,000 won, up 7.50% from the previous session, while Samsung Electronics was up 3.36% at 207,500 won. In particular, expectations for SK Hynix's upcoming first-quarter earnings have been reflected in its share price. The securities industry is raising both earnings forecasts and target prices for SK Hynix.

On this day, KB Securities raised its operating profit estimates for SK Hynix for both this year and next year by 42% and 55%, respectively, and increased its target price from 1.7 million won to 1.9 million won. Kim Dongwon, head of research at KB Securities, stated, "The pace of operating profit growth is expected to enter an acceleration phase starting in the first quarter," adding, "Moreover, for big tech companies, the stable supply of memory semiconductors—now considered a strategic asset—has become a matter of survival rather than cost during the years-long expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment."

Among other large-cap stocks, Hyundai Motor (up 3.24%), LG Energy Solution (up 0.87%), and SK Square (up 3.97%) were rising, while Hanwha Aerospace (down 0.85%) and Samsung Biologics (down 0.45%) had declined.

Experts believe that as expectations for the end of the conflict continue, the likelihood of another sharp drop in the KOSPI is low. Han Jiyeong, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, commented, "With expectations for a second round of follow-up negotiations between the United States and Iran, KOSPI futures surged 3.2% overnight, allowing the KOSPI to re-enter the 6,000 range," and added, "Unless the worst-case scenario of a complete breakdown in negotiations materializes, there is little chance of massive foreign net selling triggering another chain reaction of steep declines in the stock market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.