(Feb 25): South Korea’s equity market has surged past France to become the ninth-largest in the world, propelled by gains in technology shares riding the global boom in artificial intelligence. The Asian nation’s stock market climbed to a valuation of US$3.76 trillion (RM14.64 trillion) after adding roughly US$2.23 trillion since the start of 2025, according to Bloomberg-compiled data as of Tuesday (Feb 24). In 2024, Korea ranked 12th globally in gross domestic product while France held seventh place, according to World Bank data. And with recent French political upheaval now easing, some expect the country’s equity market to regain momentum after almost 18 months of underperformance. The French market would likely benefit from capital flows as investors diversify from US equities and tech stocks, he added.

Source: The Edge Markets February 25, 2026 09:08 UTC