SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks spiked by more than 4 percent on a tech rally following Alphabet's second-quarter earnings release. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 299.19 points, or 4.4 percent, to 7,096.89.

"The KOSPI recovered to land at the 7,000-point level, helped by foreign investors who snapped up semiconductors," said Kim Joo-yun, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities.

Foreigners were net buyers for the fourth consecutive day, driven by anticipation memory chip demand will continue, following better-than-expected earnings results from Alphabet, Google's parent company.

A person films financial data shown on a screen inside the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul on July 23, 2026. (Yonhap)

fairydust@yna.co.kr
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