Korean equities broke a four-session losing streak on October 27, 2026. The KOSPI closed at 5,638.34, up 3.09% on the day. The KOSDAQ ended at 743.83, up 2.29% — a gain of 16.62 points (SBS News, Seoul Economic Daily). The won closed at 1,323.7 per dollar, weakening 0.6 won from the previous session (Seoul Economic Daily).

What drove the rally: Anthropic's IPO filing

The immediate catalyst was news that Anthropic — the AI company behind the Claude model series — filed for an initial public offering. SBS attributed the KOSPI rebound directly to this news, noting that it lifted semiconductor names including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

The connection is straightforward: Anthropic going public signals continued large-scale AI infrastructure buildout. That buildout requires high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and AI-grade chips, which Korean manufacturers are positioned to supply. The market moved on that expectation within the session.

It is worth noting that this is a one-day reaction to an IPO announcement, not a revenue or shipment figure. The actual demand impact from any single AI company's capital spending takes quarters to show up in supplier earnings.

USD/KRW at 1,323.7 — what the rate tells you today

The won's October 27 close of 1,323.7 is near the year's strongest level. The previous session's close of 1,323.1 was reported as the lowest USD/KRW rate of 2026 (TokenPost). Seoul Economic Daily noted that exporters sold dollars ahead of the Federal Reserve's upcoming meeting, which kept the rate from moving sharply in either direction.

A won near its yearly high against the dollar has two sides. For Korean exporters, it compresses margins on dollar-denominated revenue. For investors holding dollar-denominated assets or foreign equity, it means those positions are worth comparatively less in won terms at current levels. Neither observation points to a simple action — it is context for sizing decisions, not a signal on its own.

What to watch tomorrow: Alphabet Q3 earnings

Alphabet reports Q3 2026 results on Wednesday, October 28 (U.S. time), after the market close. For Korean investors, the numbers arrive Thursday morning. Consensus revenue sits at roughly $127.8 billion. Cloud growth, capex trajectory, and search advertising revenue are the variables that are most likely to move markets. Given how sharply Korean semiconductor stocks responded to Anthropic's IPO news today, a strong or weak Alphabet Cloud result could carry a follow-on effect into Thursday's session.