EN Home › Market Briefing · published Oct 24, 2026 morning (KST) · prices as of 2026-10-23 close한국어

US 10Y 5.00% higher, WTI 99 dollars: Oct 24 Korea market briefing

Yesterday the US 10-year Treasury yield rose 4.0bp to 5.000%. On the same day, USD/KRW barely moved, at 1,326.2 won per dollar. Among commodities, WTI crude rose 2.39% and gold fell 2.16% based on Oct 22 closes, making them the biggest movers. The key variable today is whether the situation in the Middle East keeps affecting oil prices after the Houthi rebels attacked Saudi oil facilities.

Yesterday's closes

Indicator	Close	Change	%
USD/KRW10-23	1,326.2	-0.3	-0.02%
Dollar Index10-23	101.72	-0.11	-0.11%
USD/JPY10-23	156.76	-0.45	-0.29%
US 10Y Yield10-23	5.000%	+4.0bp	-
Korea 3Y Yield10-23	3.803%	-3.7bp	-
KOSPI 20010-23	862.77	+4.75	+0.55%
Nasdaq 10010-23	28,957.53	-1.16	-0.00%
Nikkei 22510-23	62,693.16	-214.68	-0.34%
Hang Seng10-23	23,093.37	+158.69	+0.69%
DAX10-23	25,181.65	-190.10	-0.75%
WTI Crude10-22	99.47	+2.32	+2.39%
Gold10-22	4,060.40	-89.60	-2.16%
Bitcoin10-24	81,342	-42	-0.05%

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 1,326.2 won per dollar on Oct 23. That is down 0.3 won (0.02%) from the previous day, so effectively flat. It is 6.85% below its 100-day average of 1,423.7. The Dollar Index fell 0.11% to 101.72, and USD/JPY fell 0.29% to 156.76 yen per dollar, so the dollar was slightly weaker. The US 10-year Treasury yield rose 4.0bp to 5.000%, above its 100-day average of 4.765%. The Korea 3-year yield, by contrast, fell 3.7bp to 3.803%, so Korean and US rates moved in opposite directions.

Equities

The KOSPI 200 closed up 0.55% at 862.77. That is still 23.32% below its 100-day average of 1,125.21. The Nasdaq 100 ended at 28,957.53, almost unchanged from the previous day. The Hang Seng rose 0.69% to 23,093.37. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.34% to 62,693.16, and Germany's DAX fell 0.75% to 25,181.65. In Asia, Korea and Hong Kong rose while Japan fell. Europe was weaker.

Commodities & Crypto

WTI crude rose 2.39% to 99.47 dollars per barrel based on the Oct 22 close. That is 15.81% above its 100-day average of 85.89 dollars. Gold fell 2.16% on the same day to close at 4,060.40 dollars per ounce, below its 100-day average of 4,268.44 dollars. Bitcoin was at 81,342 dollars as of 7:00 a.m., down 0.05% from the previous day, so effectively flat. The oil and gold prices are Oct 22 closes, so they do not yet reflect Oct 23 moves.

News and Markets

The Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi airport and Aramco oil facilities, which means a Middle East oil producer was hit directly. This is the news most directly linked to the rise in WTI crude. In US markets, reports said Meta's large infrastructure spending added to worries about AI investment. Combined with the jump in oil prices, this made tech stocks more volatile. However, the Nasdaq 100 closed flat on Oct 23. Talks between Russia and Ukraine made no progress and air strikes continued. Political uncertainty around the US midterm elections is also growing. These geopolitical and political factors form a backdrop that can affect rates and equities, but no direct causal link to yesterday's prices has been confirmed.

What to Watch Today

Today is Saturday, so major stock markets are closed. That makes it important to follow news over the weekend. Whether the Houthi rebels launch further attacks, and how much damage the Saudi oil facilities suffered, are variables that will shape WTI crude next week. North Korea's Kim Yo Jong has warned that loudspeakers aimed at South Korea will be switched on. That warning and the government's response are geopolitical variables that could affect the won and domestic stocks. On the domestic political calendar is the appeals court ruling for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. In the US, the midterm elections two weeks away and the 10-year Treasury yield, now at 5.000%, remain indicators to keep checking.

Yesterday's key world news

Witkoff-Putin meeting ends empty-handed as Russia resumes strikes on Kyiv· Geopolitics
US envoy Witkoff met Putin for the ninth time but got no breakthrough toward ending the war. Russia agreed only to working-level three-way talks in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, and continued strikes on Kyiv confirm that talks and fighting are going on side by side.
AI finds critical PHP vulnerabilities, websites worldwide shut down urgently· Tech & Industry
AI found two critical vulnerabilities that had been hidden in PHP for 10 years, affecting about 70% of websites. Attack attempts have grown into the millions, and details leaking before a patch deepened the confusion and drew attention to AI-driven cyber threats.
Houthi rebels attack Saudi airport and Aramco oil facilities· Geopolitics
Houthi rebels used missiles and drones to attack a Saudi airport and oil facilities, killing four at Dammam airport and the Shaybah oil field. The US pulled out personnel. A direct attack on a Middle East oil producer put strong upward pressure on global oil prices.
Nasdaq drops 2.6% as AI investment worries meet an oil price spike· Economy & Markets
The Nasdaq fell 2.6%, its biggest drop since June, as Meta plunged 7% and Brent crude rose above 113 dollars a barrel. Worries about an AI bubble combined with the oil shock are making global markets more volatile.
Federal election interference row ahead of US midterms as Trump approval hits low· Politics
With two weeks to go before the midterms, there is growing controversy over federal interference in the election. The Justice Department is sending about 1,000 election monitors, more than double the 2022 number. Trump's approval rating has fallen to 32%, and it is unclear which party will control the Senate.

Full country-by-country summaries for Oct 23, 2026 (Korean) →

US 10-year Treasury yieldUSD/KRW exchange rateWTI crude oil pricegold priceKOSPI 200Nasdaq 100Bitcoin priceHouthi attack Saudi Arabia

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.