TLDR
- Samsung Electronics surged 8.22% Friday, recovering sharply after a 9.1% drop the previous session
- The KOSPI index staged a V-shaped recovery, closing up 5.76% at 8,088.34 after dropping as low as 7,300
- Reports that Anthropic is in talks with Samsung to develop custom AI hardware helped fuel the rebound
- SK Hynix surged 10.88% on the same day after collapsing 14.6% the session before
- The KOSPI remains the world’s best-performing major index in 2026, up around 92% year-to-date
Samsung Electronics stock bounced back hard on Friday, climbing 8.22% after plunging 9.1% the session before. The move was part of a broader recovery across South Korea’s KOSPI index, which had triggered circuit breakers on Thursday during a sharp market-wide selloff.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SMSD.L
The KOSPI dropped as low as 7,300 on Friday morning before staging a dramatic V-shaped recovery, closing up 5.76% at 8,088.34. Thursday’s session had seen the index fall 7.89% — one of its worst single-day drops of the year.
Reports that AI startup Anthropic is in talks with Samsung to develop custom AI hardware gave investors a fresh reason to buy. That news helped accelerate the recovery in both Samsung and chip peer SK Hynix.
SK Hynix jumped 10.88% on Friday after its own brutal 14.6% collapse the day before. The two chipmakers are the KOSPI’s largest constituents, and where they go, the index follows.
Thursday’s selloff was partly amplified by selling in highly leveraged single-stock ETFs. South Korea’s financial regulator publicly flagged concerns about that dynamic.
Anthropic Talks Add Fuel to the Fire
Friday’s rebound wasn’t just a technical bounce. The Anthropic-Samsung custom hardware reports added a fundamental catalyst on top of bargain buying and short-covering after extreme panic selling.
Samsung’s stock is still trading well below its 52-week high of 374,500 won, leaving room for continued recovery if the AI memory story holds.
The KOSPI’s 2026 run has been almost entirely built on the AI memory trade. The index is up roughly 92% for the year — a performance that dwarfs every other major benchmark globally. The S&P 500, by comparison, is up just 9.3%.
Memory Frenzy Goes Global
The AI memory trade isn’t contained to Seoul. U.S. rival Micron ended Thursday’s session down 5.5% at $975.56, caught in the same chip-stock selloff that hit Nasdaq, which finished 0.8% lower to close a holiday-shortened week.
Micron is still up 166.4% for the year, a number that tells you everything about how hot the memory trade has been in 2026.
South Korea’s strong rebound is seen as a positive signal for Micron when U.S. markets reopen Monday after the July 4 holiday.
Friday’s moves in Samsung and SK Hynix were driven by a mix of technical short-covering, bargain hunters, and short-term funds all chasing the recovery at the same time.
Samsung’s stock closed at 8.22% higher on Friday, with SK Hynix up 10.88% on the same day.
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