Seoul shares rebound 1.76% as institutions buy amid AI spending concerns

Briefing by News4U · First published 2026-10-19 07:10:29 UTC

KOSPI closed at 5,768.01 after reversing from a 3.17% drop; institutions bought 574.66 billion won while foreign and retail investors sold.

Seoul shares ended higher Monday, supported by institutional buying, as investors weighed concerns over whether heavy spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure would generate sufficient returns. [1] [2] [3] [4]

The benchmark KOSPI reversed course to close up 99.96 points, or 1.76 percent, to 5,768.01, after falling as low as 5,488.41. Institutions bought a net 574.66 billion won (US$432 million) worth of shares, while foreign investors and retail investors sold a net 37.87 billion won and 1.09 trillion won, respectively. [3] [4]

The Korean won was quoted at 1,330.3 won against the U.S. dollar, up from 1,331.4 won at the previous close. [3] [4]

Sources

1. Bitcoin, Korea’s Kospi and Nasdaq futures rally as China GDP beats estimates

   CoinDesk · 2026-10-19 03:36:58 UTC · Summary only

2. (URGENT) Seoul shares end higher on institutional buying amid AI investment concerns

   Yonhap Business · 2026-10-19 06:34:26 UTC · Full text

3. Seoul shares end higher on institutional buying amid AI investment concerns

   Yonhap Business · 2026-10-19 06:38:40 UTC · Full text

4. (LEAD) Seoul shares end higher on institutional buying amid AI investment concerns

   Yonhap Business · 2026-10-19 06:58:19 UTC · Full text

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