SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - KOSPI and Nikkei extend record rally on Nvidia guidance
South Korean and Japanese shares stayed on their record-setting path Thursday, lifted by rosy guidance from Nvidia, while China-linked markets remained subdued ahead of the annual policy-setting congress next week.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 opened higher and briefly surpassed 59,000 for the first time in morning trade, marking a fresh record, before trimming gains to 58,863.20 around 11 a.m.
The KOSPI also marched north, gaining nearly 2 percent in early trade to push above 6,200, just a day after landing on the 6,000 territory.
Shares of Samsung Electronics jumped 4.91 percent to 213,500 won, while SK hynix added 1.57 percent to 1,036,000 won, helping propel the broader market higher.
Han Ji-young of Kiwoom Securities said strong data center results and higher guidance from Nvidia indicate AI demand remains solid, suggesting a neutral-to-positive spillover effect on Korean chip stocks.
Nvidia said its fiscal fourth-quarter revenue (November–January) rose 73 percent year on year to $68.13 billion, beating market expectations of around $66.2 billion and marking a record quarterly high.
Chinese stocks traded mixed ahead of the National People’s Congress and the annual “Two Sessions” in early March, as expectations for additional policy support kept sentiment in check.
While selective shares advanced, the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.13 percent to 4,141.74 as of 10:00 a.m. local time. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index edged up 0.077 percent.
Seoul sentiment was further buoyed by the Bank of Korea decision to keep the base rate steady at 2.50 percent and upgrade this year’s growth outlook to 2.0 percent, implying the economy is normalizing toward its potential growth rate.
The dollar fell 3.60 won to 1,423.9 amid a broad retreat in the greenback.
Individual investors were net buyers of 1.2616 trillion won, while foreign and institutional investors were net sellers of 1.2784 trillion won and 54.7 billion won, respectively.
Autos and non-chip stocks mixed
Non-chip large-cap stocks showed mixed moves.
Among auto shares, Hyundai Motor was flat at 572,000 won, while Kia rose 0.82 percent to 197,700 won.
SK Square gained 1.08 percent to 654,000 won, whereas Samsung Life Insurance fell 4.47 percent to 235,000 won.
In biotech and battery plays, Samsung Biologics rose 0.12 percent to 1,730,000 won, while LG Energy Solution lost 0.47 percent to 424,000 won.
In defense and shipbuilding, Hanwha Aerospace fell 2.15 percent to 1,286,000 won. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries declined 1.52 percent and Hanwha Ocean slipped 1.34 percent.
Entertainment shares extended losses amid heavy upfront investment and restructuring costs, with HYBE down 1.26 percent, JYP Entertainment losing 0.29 percent and YG Entertainment trading 2.21 percent lower.
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