SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks fell almost 1 percent Friday as investors turned cautious over the potential impact of the departure of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. The local currency was trading lower against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed down 52.20 points, or 0.98 percent, at 5,290.53.
The index opened 2.05 percent higher and rose as high as 5,504.44 before shifting to negative territory around 12:35 p.m.
Overnight on Wall Street, major stock indices closed lower following the exit of Huang, who played a crucial role in the recent AI boom.
Investors were also awaiting the release of U.S. producer price data, which could give a clue to the Federal Reserve's monetary policy, following the steeper-than-expected rise in the consumer price index earlier this week.
Financial data is shown on a screen at the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul on Nov. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)
Financial data is shown on a screen at the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul on Nov. 13, 2026. (Yonhap)