#circuit-breaker

South Korea's KOSPI closed at 7,812.49 on May 21, rising 8.37% in a session steep enough to trigger a buy-side circuit breaker. Samsung Electronics' resolution of a months-long performance-bonus dispute and Nvidia's better-than-expected Q1 FY2027 results catalyzed the rally simultaneously, reversing five consecutive sessions of losses that began with a sell-circuit near the 8,000 level on May 15.

South Korea's KOSPI crossed 8,000 for the first time in history on May 15, peaking at 8,046.78 before a circuit breaker was triggered as KOSPI 200 futures fell more than 5%. The index closed at 7,493.18, down 6.12%, as foreign investors dumped a net KRW 5 trillion in a single session. Retail investors' seven-day, KRW 30-trillion buying streak could not offset the outflow, while KB Securities raised its KOSPI target from 7,500 to 10,500.