Today's Stock Market Core Briefing — 2026-09-12

Today's Key Market Issues

1. U.S. Markets Rally on Inflation Data Relief: On Friday, September 11, U.S. stocks rebounded, ending a four-session losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.98% to close at 52,573.29, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.96%. Analysts attributed the gains to inflation data matching market expectations ahead of next week's central bank meeting, easing uncertainty.

2. Surging Oil Prices and U.S. Treasury Yields Continue: On Thursday, September 10, a sharp spike in international crude oil prices and rising U.S. Treasury yields dragged down major indices. Brent crude briefly surpassed $100 per barrel, reaching its highest level since May. Due to these factors, the S&P 500 fell 0.58%, marking its fourth consecutive day of losses.

3. KOSPI Retreats to 6,900 Amid Global Uncertainty: On September 10, South Korea's domestic market saw the KOSPI drop back to the 6,900 range amid global financial market uncertainty and mixed performances among major tech stocks. Continued selling pressure from institutional and foreign investors dampened market sentiment.

Surging Themes and Feature Stock Analysis

1. AI Infrastructure and Nuclear Energy Theme: Alphabet (GOOGL) announced a $15.1 billion (approx. 20 trillion KRW) investment to build AI infrastructure in Finland, which reportedly includes a large-scale nuclear power supply contract. However, Alphabet's share price fell 2.3% immediately following the news announcement.

2. Semiconductors and TSMC-Related Stocks: TSMC reported an August revenue increase of 53.3% year-over-year, achieving record-breaking performance for the fourth consecutive month. This has heightened expectations for a semiconductor super-cycle, positively impacting the related sector.

3. AI Startup IPO Momentum: News that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is pursuing a listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market) has influenced investment sentiment for domestic AI and software-related stocks in South Korea.

4. Energy Sector: With international crude oil prices topping $100 per barrel, share prices across the energy sector strengthened. Particularly on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), volatility among energy stocks expanded due to the rising oil prices.

Macro Context

1. Global Monetary Policy Tightening: The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates once again and hinted at the possibility of further tightening. This is acting as a factor stimulating risk-off sentiment in global financial markets.

2. Strong Dollar and Interest Rate Outlook: High U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) readings and surging oil prices have driven U.S. Treasury yields to multi-year highs, acting as upward pressure on the U.S. dollar. The persistence of a high-interest-rate environment is compounding valuation burdens in the stock market.

3. Asian Economic Schedule: During the Asian session on September 10, no major economic indicators were released, but market direction is expected to be determined by subsequent U.S. economic indicators, including the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

This report is based solely on researched data, and investment responsibilities lie with the individual.