KOSPI surged 6.45% to a record high above 7,380 on May 6, 2026, powered by Samsung’s $1 trillion milestone and Iran peace deal hopes that sent Brent crude tumbling 8%. Full Asia market recap inside.
U.S. and European stocks fell on May 4 as oil-shock risk, Fed uncertainty, and post-rally sensitivity weighed on major indexes.
Asia markets on May 4 were led by a 5.12% KOSPI jump while Japan and mainland China were shut for holidays. Here is what moved and what to watch next.
On Thursday, May 1, 2026, the U.S. stock market closed the session with a split verdict. Apple delivered its strongest March-quarter sales growth in more than four years, lifting the Nasdaq past 25,000 for the first time. But beneath the surface, the Federal Reserve just recorded its most divided vote since 1992 — and core … Read more
Wall Street closed April on a historic note. The S&P 500 crossed the 7,200 mark for the first time in history on April 30, sealing what became the best monthly performance for U.S. equities since the post-COVID rebound of 2020. European stocks followed suit, with London and Frankfurt posting solid gains — even as persistent … Read more
Seoul stocks touched a fresh all-time intraday high above 6,700 before reversing 1.38% as Brent crude surpassed $120 for the first time since 2022 and the Fed issued its most divided rate-hold in three decades. Samsung’s fivefold Q1 earnings beat sparked a sell-off while the yen breached 160 before a rapid verbal-intervention recovery.
Wednesday’s session was defined by escalation. The Dow fell 280 points to close at 48,861.81, its fifth consecutive losing day, as Brent crude surged nearly 7% to $118.80 per barrel after President Trump formally rejected Iran’s Hormuz reopening proposal and told aides to prepare for an extended blockade. In what was almost certainly Jerome Powell’s … Read more
Seoul stocks logged a third consecutive all-time high at 6,690.90 on April 29, driven by an afternoon AI memory rally — with an Nvidia executive meeting Samsung and SK Hynix on physical AI. Tokyo was closed for Showa Day.
Tuesday’s session delivered a sharp reality check for the AI trade. The S&P 500 dropped 0.49% to 7,138.80 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.9% to 24,663.80, pulling back from Monday’s record closes as a Wall Street Journal report revealed OpenAI had missed its own revenue and user targets. The news rippled through chip and AI … Read more
KOSPI closed at a record 6,641.02 on April 28, 2026 as Asia chased US big-tech earnings, while a divided BOJ kept rates steady but lifted its inflation forecast to 2.8% — leaving the yen near 159.