The South Korea stock market has moved lower in three straight sessions, sinking more than 55 points or 2.3 percent along the way. The KOSPI now rests just above the 2,465-point plateau and it's likely to open under pressure again on Monday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is broadly negative on trade war concerns after China announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in reaction to President Donald Trump's new levies. The European and U.S. markets were sharply lower and the Asian bourses are also expected to open under pressure. The KOSPI finished modestly lower again on Friday, again weighed down by the exporters in the face of new tariffs. Chemical companies were up on bargain hunting.
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May 15, 2026 15:25 ET Apart from the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, the main news on the economics front this week included key price data from the U.S. and the first quarter economic growth figures from major economies. Both consumer prices and producer costs have started to reflect the effect of supply shocks due to the Middle East conflict. In Europe, GDP data was in focus, while inflation data from China dominated the news flow in Asia.