South Korea Financial Markets

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.

Tags

As featured on

Asian shares mostly rise as oil prices fall and hope grows for AI

Asian shares mostly rise as oil prices fall and hope grows for AI

Asian shares are mostly higher as investors keep an eye on the ongoing talks over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely shut down because of the war in Iran. The global interest in artificial intelligence has continued to boost some regional issues, while declining oil prices have helped gear up optimism in oil-importing nations like Japan. Resource-poor Japan imports virtually all its oil. Benchmarks rose in early Wednesday trading in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai, while oil prices continued to fall. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% and inched closer to its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow added 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%.