Panic swept through South Korea’s trading floors as concerns over the Middle East conflict sent the world’s hottest stock market to its biggest-ever selloff.
The Kospi Index plunged 12% — following a 7.2% drop on Tuesday — as heavyweights Samsung Electronics Co., SK Hynix Inc. and Hyundai Motor Co. tumbled. The rout triggered a 20-minute trading halt early in the Wednesday session. Of more than 800 stocks on the benchmark, only 10 finished in the green. A key volatility gauge jumped to its highest level since 2008.
