The benchmark KOSPI rose 1.4% to around 3,610 on Wednesday, rebounding from losses in the previous session as hopes for US rate cuts and an improved growth outlook lifted sentiment. Expectations that the Federal Reserve could resume policy easing supported broader risk appetite across Asia. Adding to the optimism, the IMF raised South Korea’s 2025 growth forecast to 0.9%, citing a smaller-than-expected impact from recent US tariff measures and resilience in exports. On the corporate front, gains were led by technology and industrial stocks, with Samsung Electronics rising 1.6%, Hanwha Aerospace adding 1.1%, Doosan Enerbility advancing 7.4%, and KB Financial Group climbing 2.6%. Still, overall optimism was tempered by persistent geopolitical frictions, with investors monitoring the latest US–China trade measures and Beijing’s retaliation targeting South Korean-linked firms, wary that further escalation could disrupt supply routes and dampen export prospects for Korean manufacturers.