[Edaily Reporter Kim Kyung-eun] Leading semiconductor stocks #Samsung Electronics and #SK Hynix both hit all-time highs in pre-market trading before the market opened.

According to Nextrade on the 19th, as of 8:20 a.m. that day, Samsung Electronics was trading at 375,500 won, up 13,000 won (3.59%) from the previous trading day. At the same time, SK Hynix was trading at 2,815,000 won, up 30,000 won (4.84%).

Early in the session, Samsung Electronics rose to 380,000 won and SK Hynix to 2.82 million won, setting new all-time highs.

This is interpreted as a result of the continued positive outlook for the semiconductor industry, coupled with the rise in tech stocks on the New York Stock Exchange overnight, which boosted investor sentiment.

On the 18th (local time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 51,564.70 on the New York Stock Exchange, up 72.15 points (0.14%) from the previous session. The S&P 500 index closed at 7,500.58, up 80.48 points (1.08%) from the previous session, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 26,517.93, up 496.28 points (1.91%).

This was driven by bargain-hunting, particularly in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip sector. Intel (10.64%), Micron Technology (8.7%), and SanDisk (11.54%) led the gains.

Han Ji-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, predicted, “Buoyed by a 6% surge in the U.S. Philadelphia Semiconductor Index and a 3% gain in KOSPI 200 overnight futures, the market is expected to open with a rally led by the semiconductor
-led rally is expected to continue from the previous day," she predicted. However, she added, "During the trading session, the market is expected to shift to a sector rotation pattern with limited momentum for further gains, as profit-taking following the KOSPI’s breach of the 9,000-point mark and concerns over the pace of the recent sharp rally converge."