Prime Highlights
- South Korea’s Kospi index reached a new record high, rising 0.65% in early trade, led by strong gains in technology stocks, particularly Samsung Electronics.
- Asian markets began the first trading session of 2026 mixed, with gains in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Australia, while Japan and mainland China remained closed for the New Year holidays.
Key Facts
- Samsung Electronics climbed nearly 3% after positive feedback on its high memory bandwidth chips, while the Kosdaq index rose 1.47%.
- In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index advanced 1.48%, boosted by education stocks and a surge in Shanghai Biren shares, which more than doubled following its HK$5.58 billion IPO.
Background
South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index touched a new record high on Friday as Asia-Pacific markets started the first trading session of 2026 on a mixed note.
The Kospi climbed 0.65% in early trade, supported by strong buying in technology stocks. Samsung Electronics, the index heavyweight, rose nearly 3% after reports said clients praised its high memory bandwidth chips, boosting investor confidence in the firm’s future earnings. The small-cap Kosdaq index also performed well, gaining 1.47%.
Several major Asian markets, including Japan and mainland China, stayed closed for the New Year holidays. South Korean markets also opened an hour later than usual at 10 a.m. local time.
Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.13%. Hong Kong markets saw stronger gains, with the Hang Seng Index rising 1.48%. Education services stocks led the rally. Shares of artificial intelligence chip maker Shanghai Biren more than doubled after the company debuted on the Hang Seng Index following its HK$5.58 billion initial public offering. The public offer attracted huge interest, with subscriptions crossing 2,300 times, while the international portion was almost 26 times oversubscribed.
Investors also digested positive economic news from Singapore, where the economy grew 5.7% year on year in the fourth quarter, driven mainly by strong manufacturing output. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong earlier said the country expanded 4.8% for the full year 2025, beating expectations.
U.S. stock futures traded slightly higher during early Asian hours. Futures linked to the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones all posted small gains. On the last trading day of 2025, Wall Street closed lower, but major indexes still ended the year with strong advances, led by technology stocks and optimism around artificial intelligence.