Seoul Stocks Plunge Amid Middle East War
Seoul stocks fell over 4 percent Tuesday, March 31, 2026, as the benchmark KOSPI dropped 224.84 points to 5,052.46 amid heavy foreign selling. The Korean won weakened to 1,530.1 per U.S. dollar, a 17-year low, with foreigners selling a net 3.84 trillion won. The selloff followed renewed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump and widening Middle East conflict, raising market volatility.
Key Points
- 1Recorded KOSPI drop of 4.26% (224.84 points) to 5,052.46 amid heavy foreign selling
- 2Escalating U.S.-Iran conflict and Trump's threats raised geopolitical risk, boosting equity risk premium
- 3Practitioners should expect volatility, reassess earnings forecasts and hedge currency and oil exposure
Scoring Rationale
Credible, same-day market report with concrete figures and clear geopolitical drivers. Scored for solid credibility and actionable market signals, but limited novelty and no direct relevance to AI/ML lowered the overall impact.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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