Seoul, Feb 26 (NationPress) In a remarkable turn of events, South Korean stocks surged by more than 3 percent, reaching an all-time high of over 6,300 on Thursday. Investors' optimism was significantly fueled by the prospects of artificial intelligence (AI) following Nvidia’s unexpectedly strong earnings report. Additionally, the local currency saw a slight appreciation against the U.S. dollar.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 223.41 points, marking a 3.67 percent increase, and closed at a record high of 6,307.27. This marks the sixth consecutive day of gains, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.

Since the start of 2023, the KOSPI has been on a bullish trend, surpassing the 4,500-point threshold for the first time on January 6 and crossing the 5,000-point mark on January 27. Remarkably, it took under a month to breach the 6,000-point line on Wednesday.

Trading activity was robust, with 1.4 billion shares traded, valued at 38.5 trillion won (approximately US$27 billion). However, decliners outnumbered gainers significantly, with 659 stocks falling compared to 239 that rose.

Institutional and individual investors purchased a net 1.24 trillion won and 658.8 billion won worth of stocks, respectively, while foreign investors sold a net 2.1 trillion won.

In the previous trading session, Nvidia announced its fourth-quarter revenue of US$68.13 billion, surpassing analyst expectations and rekindling enthusiasm surrounding AI technology's potential impact.

Market analysts indicated that Nvidia's robust earnings have spurred a tech rally in South Korea, particularly benefiting key players like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which are integral to the Nvidia-led AI ecosystem.

"The KOSPI was primarily driven by stocks in the chip, electric equipment, and automobile sectors linked to the AI value chain, following Nvidia's impressive earnings report," stated Kang Jin-hyuk, an analyst from Shinhan Securities.

Moreover, investors were encouraged by the Bank of Korea's announcement of a 0.2 percentage point increase in its 2026 economic growth forecast to 2 percent, attributing this to strong semiconductor exports, he added.

Technology and automotive sectors led the upward momentum.

Market leader Samsung Electronics experienced a remarkable jump of 7.13 percent, reaching an all-time high of 218,000 won, while its competitor SK hynix soared 7.96 percent to hit a new high of 1,099,000 won.

LG Electronics surged 10.05 percent to 146,700 won after Nvidia highlighted the Korean company as a partner for its physical AI ventures.

Hyundai Motor also saw a significant increase of 6.47 percent, closing at 609,000 won, while its parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis skyrocketed 12.67 percent to 529,000 won.

HD Hyundai Electric, a producer of power transformers and other electrical equipment, advanced 4.32 percent to 1,111,000 won, and leading pharmaceutical company Samsung Biologics climbed 2.2 percent to 1,766,000 won.

Conversely, food giant Nongshim fell by 3.23 percent to 434,000 won, and major banking group KB Financial Group declined 1.43 percent to 165,300 won.

As of 3:30 p.m., the Korean won was quoted at 1,425.8 won against the U.S. dollar, reflecting an increase of 3.6 won from the previous session, marking the highest level since January 28 when it traded at 1,422.5 won per dollar.