Seoul, Feb 23, 2026, 19:52 KST — Market closed.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) wrapped up Monday’s session at 193,000 won, a gain of 1.53%, after hitting a fresh intraday high of 197,600. The day saw trading volume reach 24.7 million shares, amounting to roughly 4.78 trillion won in turnover.
South Korea’s stock market has turned into a kind of AI sentiment gauge lately, with chip stocks yanking the benchmark in both directions. On this day, the KOSPI finished 0.7% higher after climbing as much as 2.1% intraday—a new record, with investors eyeing Nvidia’s results coming up later this week, according to Reuters. “AI-linked North Asia continues to attract flows,” said Glenn Yin, director of research at AC Capital Market. Reuters
Shares jumped after a report from Investing.com suggested Samsung was on track to be Nvidia’s sole memory-chip supplier for its high-end processors. The battleground right now is high-bandwidth memory, or HBM — stacked DRAM deployed with AI chips to speed up data transfer far beyond what standard memory can handle.
Earlier this month, Samsung announced it had sent out shipments of its new HBM4 memory chips to customers, according to Reuters. The firm didn’t disclose any customer names as it aims to narrow the gap with competitors in the premium AI memory space.
Another boost for the bulls: NH Investment & Securities lifted Samsung’s target to 250,000 won, up from 205,000 won, sticking to its “buy” call. The broker cited stronger-than-expected memory price gains, even with the first quarter’s usual seasonal lull. “It is too early to talk about a peak,” analyst Ryu Young-ho wrote, though he warned that higher costs could weigh on other segments. 한국경제
Samsung, shifting focus from semiconductors, rolled out a beta for its overhauled Bixby assistant in One UI 8.5 on Sunday, billing it as a “conversational device agent” aimed at Galaxy devices. “We decided to integrate a device agent directly into the experience,” said Won-Joon Choi, chief operating officer for Samsung’s Mobile eXperience unit. TradingView
But with so many traders piled in and the action moving quickly, there’s not much room for hesitation. If buyers don’t stick around in the next session, or if those key suppliers stay quiet, Monday’s surge could fade just as fast as it arrived.
The main worry is the cycle itself. Barron’s pointed out that memory makers’ aggressive capital spending has a habit of backfiring—fresh supply often triggers the next price drop, even if demand feels strong right now.
Seoul’s market is closed, so traders are now zeroing in on Nvidia’s earnings report this Wednesday. The results are widely seen as a barometer for AI hardware appetite, with memory suppliers in the crosshairs. If Nvidia’s numbers disappoint or guidance stumbles, the impact could hit Korea’s chip-focused index almost immediately.
