Asia Market Wrap 27 October: Seoul Jumps 3.09 Percent After a Chip-Led Growth Surprise
Seoul led Asia on Tuesday, with the Kospi up 3.09 percent at 5,638.34 after the Bank of Korea’s advance estimate put third-quarter growth ahead of forecasts. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.73 percent and snapped three declines, while Shanghai and Shenzhen both fell. Taipei returned from its two-session closure with a 0.12 percent gain. Brent crude traded at 116.00 dollars a barrel at 10:21 GMT, 0.16 percent above Monday’s settlement.
Seoul’s Growth Surprise Carries the North Higher
The Kospi’s 3.09 percent rise to 5,638.34 was the day’s strongest, recovering more than Monday’s 1.46 percent fall. The central bank’s advance estimates, released Tuesday, put third-quarter output 1.0 percent higher on the quarter, above the 0.7 percent median in a Reuters poll of economists and 3.4 percent higher on the year, with exports up 2.3 percent, facilities investment up 4.1 percent on semiconductor demand, and private consumption down 0.2 percent in its first fall in nearly four years. Its economic statistics chief told a briefing that about half of the economy’s growth is being driven by semiconductors, on the bank’s estimate. Tokyo followed. The Nikkei 225 closed 1.73 percent higher at 63,268.37, snapping three straight declines, and the Topix added 0.61 percent to 3,997.37 for a second gain, with the yen at 157.77 to the dollar at the capture and the Bank of Japan meeting on Thursday and Friday.
The Mainland Falls Through a Faster Profit Print
China’s indices went the other way. Shanghai’s Composite fell 1.33 percent to 3,648.30 after two gains, and Shenzhen’s Component lost 2.50 percent at 11,245.73 for a second straight decline, even as the National Bureau of Statistics put September industrial profits 14.4 percent higher on the year, quickening from August’s 4.2 percent even as nine-month growth eased to 15.5 percent from 15.7 percent through August. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.73 percent to 23,041.32 after two gains of its own, with HSBC’s shares sharply lower after third-quarter revenue disappointed, as Reuters reported. Taipei resumed trading after Friday’s typhoon suspension and Monday’s public holiday, the Taiex 0.12 percent higher at 46,096.23 against Thursday’s close. India’s Nifty 50 slipped 0.02 percent to 22,749.75, its close confirmed at the exchange. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.46 percent to 8,850.10 for a third straight gain, and Singapore’s Straits Times fell 0.35 percent to 5,397.03, a second decline.
Top gainers
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Kospi (South Korea) | 5,638.34 | +3.09% |
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 63,268.37 | +1.73% |
| Topix (Japan) | 3,997.37 | +0.61% |
| S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) | 8,850.10 | +0.46% |
| Taiex (Taiwan) | 46,096.23 | +0.12% |
Closes of Tuesday 27 October from CNBC’s feed, read twice and identical, ranked by change against Monday 26 October’s closes as published; the Taiex row is measured against Thursday 22 October, the exchange’s last session before its two-session closure. Run lengths are counted against our published closes.
Top losers
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen Component (China) | 11,245.73 | -2.50% |
| Shanghai Composite (China) | 3,648.30 | -1.33% |
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 23,041.32 | -0.73% |
| Straits Times (Singapore) | 5,397.03 | -0.35% |
| Nifty 50 (India) | 22,749.75 | -0.02% |
Top losers, same session and basis, ranked from the deepest.
Commodities and currencies
| Instrument | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Gold, COMEX (Dec’26), dollars an ounce | 4,012.10 | -0.65% |
| Silver, COMEX (Dec’26), dollars an ounce | 53.30 | -1.92% |
| Brent Crude, ICE (Dec’26), dollars a barrel | 116.00 | +0.16% |
| WTI Crude, NYMEX (Dec’26), dollars a barrel | 102.10 | +0.33% |
| US Dollar Index (DXY) | 102.25 | +0.29% |
| Euro/Dollar | 1.1139 | -0.30% |
| Sterling/Dollar | 1.3314 | -0.19% |
| Dollar/Yen | 157.77 | +0.17% |
Intraday quotes at 10:21 GMT, in fixed order; snapshots, not settlements, with changes measured on the unrounded values. The commodity rows are measured against Monday’s settlements, the currency and dollar-index rows against the feed’s previous reference levels.
Why it matters: Korea’s growth surprise gave the day its leader and the chip complex its tone. The economies selling into the artificial-intelligence investment cycle rose on evidence it is lifting output, with the central bank crediting semiconductors with about half of the quarter’s growth, on its estimate, while China’s indices fell through a September profit print that quickened even as the nine-month pace eased, its gains divided sharply by sector. Positioning stays careful into Wednesday’s Federal Reserve decision. Across the 10 indices, the Kospi’s 3.09 percent rise was the best close and Shenzhen’s 2.50 percent fall the worst.
Outlook: The Federal Reserve announces its decision on Wednesday 28 October, on the meeting dates its own calendar confirms, and the Bank of Japan follows with its statement and Outlook Report on Friday after its Thursday and Friday meeting, on its own schedule. The Gulf’s markets follow this afternoon in our Middle East wrap, with our commodities wrap at midday and its settlements update after the New York close.
How these wraps are prepared: Methodology.
Sources: CNBC, Bank of Korea, National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Stock Exchange of India, Reuters, The Edge.
