South Korea's Kospi surges to record highs as Asia rallies. South Korea's Kospi index advanced 6.45% to close at a record 7,384.56, building on more than 70% annual gains as markets resumed trading following a holiday. Samsung Electronics reached a historic milestone, crossing one trillion dollars in market capitalization with a 14% jump. The broad Asia-Pacific rally was fueled by Wall Street's overnight gains and declining oil prices after President Trump signaled de-escalation efforts in the Middle East. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.51% to 100.73 per barrel while Brent crude declined 1.48% to 108.23. China's CSI 300 added 1.45% and Australia's ASX 200 rose 1.3%. U.S. stock futures showed modest gains, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 climbing ahead of the open following record closes on Tuesday.
