STOCKS | South Korea Exchange Triggers Marketwide Circuit Breaker for Seventh Time This Year

South Korea’s stock market fell sharply on Monday, prompting the Korea Exchange to activate a circuit breaker on the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI). According to Jin10, trading in KOSPI constituent stocks was halted for 20 minutes after the exchange triggered a marketwide circuit breaker at about 1:28 p.m. local time (12:28 (UTC+8)). The circuit breaker was activated after the KOSPI dropped more than 8% from the previous trading day’s close. The report said renewed tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment, with a new round of clashes between the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz adding to selling pressure on the benchmark index. The move marked the seventh time the Korea Exchange has activated a circuit breaker so far this year.