Win Streak May Continue For South Korea Shares

(RTTNews) - The South Korea stock market has climbed higher in three straight sessions, collecting more than 20 points or 0.8 percent along the way. The KOSPI now sits just shy of the 2,580-point plateau and it may see additional support on Friday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on easing trade concerns. The European and U.S. markets were mostly higher and the Asian bourses figure to follow that lead.

The KOSPI finished slightly higher on Thursday as gains from the retailers were capped by weakness from the technology stocks and automobile producers.

For the day, the index rose 5.68 points or 0.22 percent to finish at 2,579.48 after trading between 2,575.78 and 2,590.90. Volume was 465.2 million shares worth 10.2 trillion won. There were 530 gainers and 341 decliners.

Among the actives, Shinhan Financial shed 0.39 percent, while KB Financial collected 0.96 percent, Hana Financial dropped 0.92 percent, Samsung SDI sank 0.95 percent, LG Electronics lost 0.56 percent, SK Hynix fell 0.26 percent, Naver plummeted 5.22 percent, LG Chem added 0.48 percent, Lotte Chemical slumped 0.91 percent, SK Innovation gained 0.54 percent, KEPCO retreated 0.75 percent, Hyundai Mobis gained 0.39 percent, Hyundai Motor slipped 0.27 percent, Kia Motors was down 0.34 percent and Samsung Electronics, POSCO Holdings and SK Telecom were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is positive as the major averages opened higher on Thursday and remained firmly in the green throughout the trading day.

The Dow jumped 254.48 points or 0.62 percent to finish at 41,368.45, while the NASDAQ rallied 189.98 points or 1.07 percent to close at 17,928.14 and the S&P 500 gained 32.66 points or 0.58 percent to end at 5,663.94.

The strength on Wall Street came after President Donald Trump unveiled the framework of a trade agreement with the U.K.

Trump claimed the deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, and will see the U.K. reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers.

In economic news, the Labor Department said first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits saw a modest decline last week. Also, the Labor Department noted a pullback by U.S. labor productivity in the first quarter of 2025 along with a sharp increase by unit labor costs.

Crude oil futures rallied on Thursday following news of the trade agreement between the United States and Great Britain. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery surged $1.84 or 3.2 percent to $59.91 a barrel.

Closer to home, South Korea will see March data for its current account later this morning; in February, the current account surplus was $7.18 billion.