South Korean stocks post second-best month and overtake UK market value

3 articles · Updated · MarketWatch · Apr 30

The Kospi rose 31% in April to $4.2 trillion in market capitalisation, topping the UK's $3.9 trillion and making South Korea the world's eighth-largest stock market.
The index is now up 57% this year, led by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix as AI-driven memory-chip demand outstrips supply across high-end and traditional DRAM markets.
Investors also cite Seoul's corporate-governance "value-up" programme, while some fund managers are expanding into energy and electrical equipment stocks tied to AI data-centre demand.

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