Traders cheer the benchmark Kospi surpasing the 6,000-point mark for the first time in early trading at the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, Wednesday, (Yonhap)
Traders cheer the benchmark Kospi surpasing the 6,000-point mark for the first time in early trading at the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, Wednesday, (Yonhap)

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi vaulted past 6,000 in early trading Wednesday, riding a powerful chip-led surge.

The Kospi was quoted at 6,022.7 at the opening bell, marking a 53.06 point, or 0.89 percent gain, from the previous session. It was the first time the benchmark had risen past 6,000 points.

After touching a high of 6,039.18, it retreated to 6,005.04 as of 9:20 a.m.

The milestone comes roughly four months after the index first broke the 4,000 mark on Oct. 27 last year, and just a month after it closed above 5,000 on Jan. 27.

Shares of market bellwethers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix and surged to as high as 205,000 won ($142) and 1.01 million won, respectively in early trading.

Retail investors were sole net buyers on the bourse, purchasing 830 billion won. Foreign investors and institutional investors each offloaded 536 billion won and 308 billion won.

The secondary bourse Kosdaq kicked off at 1,174.27, advancing 9.27 points, or 0.8 percent, on-session.

In onshore trading, the Korean won was quoted at 1,441.6 per dollar, strengthening 0.9 won from the previous session.


silverstar@heraldcorp.com