South Korea's KOSPI jumped more than 5 percent on Aug. 20 as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix surged, triggering a so-called buy sidecar that temporarily halts program buy orders.
The Korea Exchange said program buy orders were suspended for 5 minutes from 9:57:10 a.m. in the main board market as KOSPI 200 futures surged.
At the time of the trigger, KOSPI 200 futures were up 51.90 points, or 5.10 percent, from the previous session's close at 1,068.15.
A KOSPI buy sidecar is triggered when KOSPI 200 futures remain up 5 percent or more from the reference price for 1 minute.
The KOSPI's rise on the day is being led by large-cap semiconductor shares, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
As major chipmakers rise together, the KOSPI has quickly widened its early-session gains and is moving above and below the 6,800 level.
Ji-young Lee
ljy@d-today.co.kr