KOSPI's long rally
South Korea’s KOSPI logged an 11th straight day of gains as of March 16, helped by higher commodity prices and a firmer won — the streak is drawing attention to exporters and cyclical sectors. KOSPI surge Regional market context
KOSPI closed at 5,549.85 on March 16, 2026, according to market reports that day ([kedglobal.com)]. The Korean won traded around 1,495 per U.S. dollar in afternoon trade on March 16, showing a firmer currency that coincided with the market move ([tradingeconomics.com)]. Brent crude topped about $105 a barrel and WTI hovered near $100 on March 16 after strikes on an Iranian export hub, a jump in energy prices that fed through to commodity-linked Korean names ([nationthailand.com)]. Semiconductor heavyweights dominated flows: analysts pointed to Samsung and SK Hynix as central drivers, and leveraged ETF products tied to SK Hynix and Samsung ranked second and fourth in net flows among global Korea ETFs last week ([bloomberg.com)]. Trading patterns showed foreigners trimming positions while retail investors continued buying, even as institutional buying earlier in March pushed the index back above the 5,600 level during a concentrated buying spree ([koreajoongangdaily.joins.com)]. Corporate activity underpinned sentiment: KRX data show buybacks and share retirements more than doubled last year (about 20.1 trillion won bought back and 21.4 trillion won retired), and analysts project combined operating profits at listed firms to more than double in 2026 — factors cited to justify strong equity demand. ([koreajoongangdaily.joins.com)]
