Korean stock market surpasses 6,200 points, surging 47% in two months! Nomura optimistically raises target to 8,000 points

On Thursday, February 26, South Korea'sKOSPI Indexsoared by over 2%, surpassing 6,200 points to reach a new all-time high! After rising by 75.63% for the whole of 2025, the index has surged another 47% in the past two months, leading global markets. The total market capitalization of South Korea's stock market has successively surpassed France and Germany this year, ranking ninth in the world by stock market capitalization.

Market analysis points out that the core driver behind the rise of South Korea's stock market is the AI semiconductor super cycle. According to business website Business Korea, in 2025,Samsung Electronicswill see a gain of 125.4%,while SK Hynixwill rise by 274.35%. The KOSPI Index is projected to increase by 75.6% in 2025, with these two major stocks contributing a combined 49% to the KOSPI Index's gains.

Morgan Stanley has raised its year-end 2026 KOSPI target from 4,500 points to 5,200 points, and favors a bull market scenario of 6,000 points (bear market scenario at 4,200 points).

Nomura Securities is even more optimistic,raising its target level for South Korea's KOSPI Index to as high as 8,000 points for the first half of the year. The reasons include the super memory cycle, profit momentum from the AI capital expenditure supply chain and the defense industry, as well as the value assessment of the physical AI supply chain.