Chip Giant’s Rally Lifts Kospi to Record High
Samsung Electronics shares surged past the 180,000 won mark on Friday, reaching a new record high following the announcement of the world’s first mass production and shipment of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a critical component for AI chips.
The stock price surpassed 180,000 won in after-hours trading on Thursday and continued its upward trajectory during Friday’s session, marking a significant milestone fueled by robust buying from institutional and foreign investors. Shares closed at 181,200 won, a 1.46 percent increase, after hitting an intraday high of 184,400 won.
This surge in Samsung’s stock has boosted the overall South Korean stock market, propelling the benchmark Kospi index to unprecedented levels. On Friday, the Kospi initially opened 0.16 percent lower at 5,513.71 but quickly rebounded, reaching an intraday record high of 5,583.74. The index eventually closed at 5,507.01, down 15.26 points or 0.28 percent from the previous trading session.
Market analysts predict that continued growth in memory demand, driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, could potentially push the Kospi index towards the 6,000 level.
Samsung’s achievement on Friday culminates a year-long rally and signals the arrival of what investors are calling the “180,000-won Samsung era.” The company’s market capitalization has now reached approximately 1,071 trillion won, exceeding the combined valuation of the Kosdaq market, which is around 600 trillion won.
Currently, Samsung accounts for nearly 28.2 percent of the Kospi’s total market capitalization, which stands at approximately 4,500 trillion won.
The surge in stock price was primarily driven by the company’s announcement on Thursday that it had commenced mass production of its industry-leading HBM4 products and initiated shipments to major clients.
While the original plan was to begin mass shipments of HBM4 shortly after the Lunar New Year holiday next week, the schedule was reportedly accelerated by a week following discussions with key customers, including Nvidia.
This development is widely perceived as positioning Samsung ahead of its competitors in next-generation technology and alleviating market concerns regarding its competitiveness within the HBM segment.
Brokerage firms swiftly raised their price targets, citing stronger earnings prospects and improved fundamentals. Leading securities firms, including KB Securities, projected that Samsung’s operating profit could surpass 170 trillion won this year, leading them to increase their target price to as high as 240,000 won.
“Samsung Electronics is projected to account for approximately 9 percent of the combined operating profits of the world’s top 10 companies in 2026, with an estimated operating profit of 170 trillion won. However, its share of global market capitalization remains at only around 3 percent,” stated Kim Dong-won, head of research at KB Securities.
“This indicates significant potential for growth in the company’s corporate value.”
