Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as a rally led by artificial intelligence (AI) took a breather amid falling oil prices and conflicting signals from the United States and Iran over their peace deal negotiations. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 62.97 points, or 0.77 percent, to 8,165.73 at the opening bell. The index closed at a record high of 8,288.7 on Wednesday, extending its winning streak to the fourth consecutive session on the back of a strong rally led by major semiconductor shares, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The landmark 8,000-point feat was achieved Tuesday. Overnight, major U.S. indexes closed at record highs over prospects that the war between the U.S. and Iran is nearing an end after an Iranian media company reported a draft interim deal between the two sides, which included the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump, however, said he is not satisfied with the negotiations with Iran, giving a mixed signal. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.36 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite edged up 0.07 pe
KOSPI heading toward 10,000: Fundamentals, policy fuel Korea's market rally