South Korea Bounces Back as Tech & Financials Lead Recovery

After a brutal two-day selloff that wiped out ~160 points, the KOSPI finally caught a bid on Tuesday, clawing back 0.30% to close at 3,857.78. The rebound came on the back of strength in financials and tech, though chemicals dragged a bit.

Key Movers:

• Samsung Electronics popped 2.69% – chip stocks catching the wave
• KEPCO skyrocketed 6.85% – biggest gainer by a landslide
• Financial trio all green: Shinhan (+1.57%), KB Financial (+1.16%), Hana (+1.45%)
• Naver tanked 3.07% – outlier in the gainers’ parade

The Setup: Wall Street handed over a solid lead – Dow surged 1.43%, S&P 500 up 0.91%, NASDAQ +0.67%. Why? Fed officials dropped dovish hints on rates, and fresh economic data showed retail sales underwhelming and consumer confidence cracking. The market’s now betting 82.7% odds on another quarter-point rate cut next month, up from 50% a week ago.

Volume Check: 275.5M shares changed hands worth ~13.1 trillion won. More sellers (553) than buyers (325), but the upside still won out – classic relief rally.

What’s Next? Asian markets expected to follow suit and open higher on Wednesday. The interest rate reprieve is lighting a fire under risk assets, and Seoul’s likely to ride that momentum.