South Korea’s KOSPI led the region’s opening moves on Wednesday, 23 September, rising 1.94% to 7,153.99. Hong Kong and mainland China began the session with smaller, mixed changes, while Japan’s stock market remained closed for a holiday.
Seoul’s strong start
The KOSPI’s opening gain was supported by technology shares. Shortly after trading began, Samsung Electronics and chipmaker SK hynix were both higher. South Korea’s smaller-company KOSDAQ index also opened up, gaining 0.88%. The strength in Seoul followed gains for US technology stocks, which helped set the tone for Asian chipmakers.
The early rise did not hold in full. By 11:20 a.m. in Seoul, the KOSPI was up just 0.08% as investors took profits. The shift illustrates how quickly an opening move can change during a live session; the index’s opening gain should not be read as its result for the day.
Hong Kong and China open cautiously
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index opened 0.09% lower at 25,064. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite edged down 0.02% to 3,951.37, while the Shenzhen Component rose 0.14% to 13,742.55. Those modest moves gave the region a less uniform start than Seoul’s sharp advance suggested.
Tokyo provided no opening signal on Wednesday. Japanese markets were shut for the Autumnal Equinox holiday and are scheduled to resume trading on Thursday. For now, investors watching the Asian session have an early surge in South Korea, a quieter start in China and Hong Kong, and no fresh trading from Japan.
Newshub Editorial in Asia – 23 September 2026
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