Kospi +17.91% · largest daily gain on record
+1,001.89 points. The previous record was 11.95% set during the 2008 crisis. Chip rebound, SK Hynix limit-up, and heavy foreign buying did the work.
After three consecutive sessions of steep losses that had taken the Kospi down more than 17%, Friday produced the largest single-day percentage and point gain in the index’s history. The Kospi closed at 6,595.45, up 1,001.89 points or 17.91%. The previous percentage record was 11.95% on 30 October 2008.
The move was pure semiconductor. SK Hynix hit the daily upper limit (+30%). Samsung Electronics rose more than 26%. Foreign investors bought a net 7.2 trillion won of Kospi shares. The catalyst was overnight strength in SOX after Microsoft’s Azure commentary and the broader US memory rebound, followed by domestic short-covering.
Context still matters. Five of the ten largest single-day moves in Kospi history have now occurred since March. A one-day 18% rebound repairs technical damage, but the same complex can still move 8–12% in either direction on a single data print. The next test is whether foreign buying continues once the immediate short-covering is exhausted.