Global Stock Market Trends — 2026-04-01

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1. South Korea Market Wrap-up

• KOSPI’s Steep Slide: With the Middle East conflict dragging on for over a month, the KOSPI fell more than 15% this month, marking the steepest decline among major global indices. After a 26% gain earlier in the year, the index took a hit as investors rushed to lock in profits, particularly in chip stocks.

• High Volatility & Sidecar Triggers: The market has been on a rollercoaster since the U.S.-Iran conflict began, with "sidecar" trading halts occurring roughly every other day. On the morning of March 30, the KOSPI plummeted 272.64 points (5.01%) to hit 5,166.23.

• Foreign Sell-offs vs. Retail Buying: Foreign investors offloaded 2.5 trillion KRW, fueling market anxiety. While the KOSPI dropped about 12% for the month, retail investors stepped in to buy the dip. Analysts at Samsung Securities are advising investors to keep a close eye on Samsung Electronics' Q1 earnings announcement coming in early April.

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2. Key U.S. Market Trends

• Dow Jumps 1,100 Points on March 31: Hopes for a quick end to the Iran conflict sparked a 2%+ rally across all three major U.S. indices on March 31, with the Dow climbing over 1,100 points intraday. Despite the strong finish, major indices still recorded their worst quarterly performance in about four years.

• Chips Struggle, Oil Breaks $100: As the U.S.-Iran conflict enters its second month, inconsistent policies from the Trump administration have kept markets on edge. While the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dragged due to weakness in semiconductor stocks, the Dow saw some gains. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil has been trading above $100 a barrel.

• Futures Climb on Bond News: E-mini S&P 500 futures rose about 0.8% before the market opened on March 31, with Nasdaq 100 futures seeing a similar bump, largely driven by a sharp rise in European government bond yields.

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3. Global Macro & Market Drivers

• U.S.-Iran War and Oil Prices: With the U.S. setting an 8:00 PM ET deadline on April 6 for Iranian energy facility strikes, oil prices holding above $100 a barrel are stoking global inflation fears. The surge in oil, combined with rising U.S. Treasury yields, is creating downward pressure across global stock markets.

• Hopes for Peace Negotiations: Global markets rallied on March 31 following reports that President Trump is exploring ways to end the Iran conflict. However, with oil prices staying above $100, the sustainability of this rally remains in question.

• Won/Dollar Exchange Rate: The KRW weakened to 1,513.4 against the USD on March 30, up 4.5 won from the previous session. This geopolitical strain is adding to import costs, and market volatility is expected to remain high as the April 6 deadline approaches.

Note: All figures are taken directly from the cited sources; '—' is used where data was unavailable.