Seoul, Feb 25 (NationPress) The stock market in Seoul experienced a significant surge of nearly 2 percent on Wednesday, crossing the 6,000-point threshold for the first time, buoyed by ongoing advancements in both technology and automobile sectors. The Korean won also saw a notable increase against the US dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed by 114.22 points, equating to a rise of 1.91 percent, closing at an all-time high of 6,083.86 after reaching an intraday peak of 6,144.71. This marks the KOSPI's fifth consecutive day of gains, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

Trading activity was robust, with 1.39 billion shares traded, amounting to a total value of 33.86 trillion won (approximately US$23.7 billion), where gainers outnumbered decliners with 446 against 433.

The index has exhibited strong growth momentum in the past weeks, surpassing the 5,000-point mark for the first time on January 27 and exceeding 5,500 on February 12. It also crossed 5,800 on Friday and 5,900 the previous day.

This rally followed positive movements on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.76 percent and the tech-centric Nasdaq Composite rose by 1.04 percent.

Both institutional and individual investors purchased a net 880.76 billion won and 224.71 billion won in stocks, countering foreign selling that totaled 1.29 trillion won.

“The ongoing rally in technology stocks reflects a reduction in concerns regarding the disruptive impacts of artificial intelligence. Retail investors are particularly optimistic about the potential semiconductor supercycle, which has positively influenced the broader market,” stated Han Ji-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities Corp..

Market watchers are now looking forward to earnings reports from Nvidia Corp. set to be released this week, which are expected to provide further insights into market trends.

Additionally, participants in the market are exercising caution regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's recent move to implement new tariffs following the Supreme Court's nullification of prior extensive duties.

On Friday (U.S. time), Trump enacted an executive order to impose 10 percent global tariffs that commenced on Tuesday, with threats to escalate this to 15 percent, although no formal announcement has been made yet.

In the Seoul market, both technology and automobile stocks were the frontrunners in gains.

Market leader Samsung Electronics increased by 1.75 percent to 203,500 won, while semiconductor powerhouse SK hynix saw a rise of 1.29 percent to 1,018,000 won.

Leading auto manufacturer Hyundai Motor surged by 9.16 percent to 572,000 won following news of a potential initial public offering (IPO) for its U.S. subsidiary Boston Dynamics, renowned for its humanoid robot Atlas. Its affiliate Kia skyrocketed by 12.7 percent to 196,100 won.

On the downside, defense contractor Hanwha Aerospace saw a drop of 2.34 percent to 1,212,000 won, while shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean fell 0.77 percent to 142,000 won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,429.40 won to the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., an increase of 13.1 won from the previous day.

Bond prices, which typically move inversely to yields, also closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys decreased by 3 basis points to 3.124 percent, while the return on benchmark five-year government bonds dropped by 3 basis points to 3.380 percent.