South Korea's KOSPI index briefly topped 9,000 points on Thursday following a surge in memory-chip stocks [1].
The rally signals renewed investor confidence in the global semiconductor market as artificial intelligence continues to drive demand for high-bandwidth memory.
The index rose by more than five percent [1], although some reports placed the rally at four percent [3]. The surge was ignited by U.S. chip giant Micron Technology, which posted earnings that beat expectations and provided a strong outlook for AI-driven memory demand [1].
SK Hynix Inc. saw its stock surge 15 percent [4]. The company has committed approximately $30 billion to expand its high-bandwidth memory capacity [5]. This growth contributed to a historic milestone for the sector, as the market capitalizations of both SK Hynix and Micron Technology exceeded $1 trillion for the first time [2].
Samsung and SK Hynix led the rally as institutional, foreign, and retail investors reacted to Micron's record quarter [1, 3]. Despite the intraday peak above 9,000, the KOSPI eventually closed at 8,930 points [4].
"South Korean stocks surged by more than 5 percent Thursday, briefly topping the 9,000-point level again, driven by a tech rally ignited by U.S. chip giant Micron Technology's expectation‑beating earnings report," a UPI reporter said [1].
Financial Post staff said the breakneck surge in memory-chip stocks is intensifying, sending the market capitalizations of SK Hynix Inc. and Micron Technology Inc. above $1 trillion for the first time [2].
“The market capitalizations of SK Hynix and Micron Technology exceeded $1 trillion for the first time.”
The simultaneous crossing of the $1 trillion market cap threshold by two major memory chip makers underscores the critical role of memory hardware in the AI infrastructure build-out. Because South Korea's economy is heavily weighted toward semiconductor exports, the KOSPI's sensitivity to U.S. earnings reports like Micron's highlights the deep integration of the global tech supply chain.
