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EN Home › Market Briefing · published Oct 9, 2026 morning (KST) · prices as of 2026-10-08 close한국어

USD/KRW 1,344 higher: Oct 9 Korea market briefing

Yesterday, major stock markets fell across the board under pressure from high long-term US Treasury yields, and the KOSPI 200 posted the steepest drop, down 2.71%. USD/KRW rose 5.0 won to 1,344.0 won per dollar. Today, the indicators to check are whether the US 10-year Treasury yield stays above 5% and how Middle East geopolitical risk shows up in oil prices.

Yesterday's closes

IndicatorCloseChange%
USD/KRW10-081,344.0+5.0+0.37%
Dollar Index10-08102.19-0.10-0.10%
USD/JPY10-08158.19+0.09+0.06%
US 10Y Yield10-085.220%-6.0bp-
Korea 3Y Yield10-083.983%+2.2bp-
KOSPI 20010-081,044.52-29.11-2.71%
Nasdaq 10010-0830,725.81-434.27-1.39%
Nikkei 22510-0869,042.11-993.60-1.42%
Hang Seng10-0823,785.79-344.71-1.43%
DAX10-0824,806.97-297.39-1.18%
WTI Crude10-0788.28-1.16-1.30%
Gold10-074,140.70-46.40-1.11%
Bitcoin10-0981,661-1,618-1.94%

The date next to each indicator is the trading day of that close. Bitcoin is the spot price at publication (7am KST). Yield changes are in bp (0.01 pp).

FX & Rates

USD/KRW closed at 1,344.0 won per dollar, up 5.0 won (0.37%) from the previous day. That is still 6.89% below its 100-day average of 1,443.5. The Dollar Index slipped 0.10% to 102.19, so the day was less about broad dollar strength and more about relative weakness in the won. USD/JPY was little changed at 158.19 yen per dollar, up 0.06%. The US 10-year Treasury yield closed at 5.220%, down 6.0bp from 5.280% the previous day, but it remains well above its 100-day average of 4.707%. The Korea 3-year yield rose 2.2bp to 3.983%, moving in the opposite direction from US yields.

Equities

The KOSPI 200 fell 29.11 points (2.71%) to 1,044.52, the largest decline among the major indices, and is now 9.64% below its 100-day average. The Nasdaq 100 fell 1.39% to 30,725.81 but is still 3.91% above its 100-day average. In Asia, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.42% to 69,042.11 and the Hang Seng dropped 1.43% to 23,785.79. Germany's DAX also lost 1.18% to 24,806.97, so investors pulled back from risk assets in every region yesterday.

Commodities & Crypto

WTI crude fell 1.30% to 88.28 dollars per barrel, and gold fell 1.11% to 4,140.70 dollars per ounce. Both prices are October 7 closes, however, so they do not yet reflect the news of Middle East air strikes that came out on October 8. WTI is 2.77% above its 100-day average of 85.90 dollars, while gold is 3.92% below its 100-day average. Bitcoin (BTC/USDT) was at 81,661 dollars as of 7:00 a.m., down 1.94% from the previous day, weakening along with stocks.

News and Markets

According to domestic and international reports, the US 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields hit long-term highs again during the session. Expectations that the Federal Reserve's next rate hike could come in December also weighed on markets, and New York stocks fell across the board. However, the market table shows the 10-year yield closing at 5.220%, down 6.0bp from the previous day, so the intraday high and the closing level should be read separately. The Houthi rebel attack on a Saudi airport adds to Middle East oil price risk. Because the WTI price in the current table is a close from before the attack, any link to oil prices has not yet been confirmed. Lithuania's push to allow nuclear weapons deployment and Russia's intensified air strikes on Ukraine have added to European security concerns. This news came out on the same day the DAX fell, but a direct causal link is hard to establish.

What to Watch Today

The first variable to watch is whether the US 10-year Treasury yield climbs again from its elevated level above 5% or keeps falling as it did yesterday. Another point to check is how much Middle East risk shows up in the first WTI crude close since the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia. With the KOSPI 200 9.64% below its 100-day average, a related indicator is whether USD/KRW rises further from around 1,344 won per dollar. In Korea, news on regulatory action and bank responses to the string of hacking incidents at financial institutions is also worth checking.

Yesterday's key world news

  1. US 10-Year Treasury Yield Hits 5.36%, Highest in 24 Years· Economy & Markets

    Long-term US Treasury yields again reached their highest level in 24 years, and the 30-year yield climbed to 5.73%, also a 24-year high. Wall Street's major indexes all fell as markets bet the Fed will raise rates again in December.

  2. Houthis Strike Two Saudi International Airports with Missiles and Drones· Geopolitics

    Houthi rebels attacked the international airports in Riyadh and Abha, killing or injuring nearly 40 people. Yemen's civil war has now spread onto Saudi soil, raising risks to Middle East oil prices.

  3. Russia Warns Lithuania over Move to Allow Nuclear Weapons as Strikes on Ukraine Intensify· Geopolitics

    Lithuania's parliament passed the first reading of a bill to repeal its ban on stationing nuclear weapons, while Russian airstrikes killed at least 25 civilians in Ukraine. Rising nuclear tensions between NATO and Russia are increasing security risks in Europe.

  4. Death of Russian Lab Worker Raises Suspicions of Pneumonic Plague· Society

    The death of a worker at a plague research institute in Siberia has raised suspicions of pneumonic plague. Russia says the cause was pneumonia, but the WHO and the United States have asked for more information, and the risk of person-to-person spread is causing growing international health concern.

  5. Gaza Death Toll Passes 70,000 on Third Anniversary of Oct. 7 Hamas Attack· Geopolitics

    Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continued on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack, and the UN said the total death toll in Gaza has passed 70,000. As the ceasefire falters, instability in the Middle East could last longer.

Full country-by-country summaries for Oct 8, 2026 (Korean) →

USD/KRW exchange rateUS 10-year Treasury yieldKOSPI 200Nasdaq 100WTI crude oil pricegold priceBitcoin priceKorea 3-year yield

This briefing is an automated summary of public market data and news-broadcast summaries from several countries, for information only — not investment advice. Figures follow the table's source data; markets may have moved since publication.