South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed up more than four percent on Friday, capping a volatile week with a broad rally as foreign investors returned to the market after weeks of relentless selling.
The index gained 359.67 points or 4.63 percent, though it eased from a sharper morning advance that briefly pushed it above 8,400, suggesting lingering caution beneath the rebound.
The recovery was led by chip stocks that had borne the brunt of the week's losses, though the gains were uneven. Samsung Electronics surged 7.86 percent to 322,500 won (US$212), while SK hynix trailed with a 2.33 percent gain to 2,150,000 won ($1,413), reversing the pattern seen for much of the week.
The U.S. dollar rose 4.70 won to 1,523.70 won despite foreign buying.
The day's standout was Hanmi Semiconductor, which surged 24.05 percent to 361,000 won, one of the sharpest single-day moves among the chip-equipment names.
The rally followed easing U.S.-Iran tensions and the return of foreign capital, whose exodus had undercut the market even on its strongest days through the week.
The gains extended across the region. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed 2.81 percent to 66,020.04, Shanghai Composite added 1.12 percent to 4,031.51, its more restrained move fitting the pattern that has held all week, with South Korea and Japan, the markets most exposed to the global chip trade, swinging hardest in both directions.
The week leaves the market roughly where it began after a series of moves rarely seen in succession, a circuit-breaker crash, a buy-side sidecar, and daily swings of more than 4 percent in every session.
Whether the foreign buyers who returned Friday stay through the SpaceX listing that has pulled capital toward the Nasdaq is the question carrying into next week.
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