Rate Worries Ease, KOSDAQ Sprints Back Over 800

Right now KOSPI's sitting at 6,660.98, up 1.24%, and KOSDAQ's at 800.14, up 1.26%, back over that 800 line — and compared to my 09:10 check-in, KOSPI added another 0.98 points while KOSDAQ jumped a full 2.97, so the rally clearly picked up real steam through the morning. Word that rate-hike worries are easing, plus the carryover from last night's Wall Street gains (S&P500 and Nasdaq both up) rolling into semiconductor and crypto themes here, looks like what's pushing things higher. KOSPI's climb is being driven by institutions buying a hefty 914.3 billion won net, while KOSDAQ is somehow rising even with both foreigners and institutions net-selling there — I'm guessing the won's strength (dollar-won down 1.05%) is filling that gap. In my own book, Poongsan's up 11.0% and Samsung Electronics up 1.2%, while Duksan Neolux is still sitting heavy at -11.8%. Through the close I'll be watching whether this rate-relief mood holds into the afternoon and whether KOSDAQ's mismatched flows sort themselves out.