KOSPI Set to Rebound After Thursday's Decline, Tracking U.S. Gains

South Korea's KOSPI index is poised to reverse Thursday's losses on Friday, May 29, 2026, as investors take cues from overnight gains on Wall Street and bargain hunting in major tech stocks. The benchmark fell 0.7% on May 28, pressured by a broad selloff in semiconductor shares and foreign investor outflows. Futures pointed to a higher open, with heavyweight Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix recovering in pre-market trading. Overnight, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.6%, fueled by easing global trade concerns and stronger-than-expected U.S. durable goods orders. The Korean won held steady at 1,320 per dollar. Analysts said improving demand forecasts for memory chips and expectations of dovish central bank minutes next week were supporting risk appetite. Still, traders remained cautious ahead of May export data due early June.