In brief
South Korea’s KOSPI opened higher, supported by a steep climb in tech equities, while the KOSDAQ also advanced. Investors were looking ahead to the U.S. mid‑term election, which could influence President Trump’s policy agenda. Overnight, U.S. tech indices added to the global momentum, though an alternative report showed a slightly different KOSPI figure.
South Korean stocks opened sharply higher on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2026, as investors rushed into technology shares ahead of U.S. mid‑term election results, Yonhap reported.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 137.34 points to 5,786.13, a 2.43% gain, according to the Yonhap report starting with the headline "Seoul shares open sharply higher on tech gains". Another Yonhap note, dated the same day, recorded the KOSPI at 5,773 after a 2.2% increase.
The KOSDAQ also climbed, up 11.35 points to 715.74, confirming the tech‑led surge across both major domestic indices.
Shares of Samsung Electronics rose 1.94%, SK hynix jumped 3.86%, Hanmi Semiconductor added 4.89%, and Samsung Electro‑Mechanics surged 3.17%, underscoring the force of chipmakers in the rally, as highlighted in the revised Yonhap account.
Voters in the United States began casting ballots on Tuesday, sparking market speculation that the election outcome could reshape President Donald Trump’s policy direction, a point noted by Yonhap as a backdrop to the move.
Overnight on Wall Street the tech‑heavy Nasdaq gained 0.83% on strong chip stocks and the S&P 500 climbed 0.36%, mirroring the optimism that carried over into the Korean market, Yonhap reported.
In a later development, BigGo Finance reported the KOSPI had climbed 2.82% to 5,808.25 in early trading on Nov. 4, offering an alternate figure that deviates from the initial Yonhap numbers.
Market analysts note that the tech‑sector lift reflects both domestic confidence and anticipation of global equity inflows tied to U.S. election outcomes.
