MarketsMarketWatchJun 3, 2026· 1 min read
Goldman Sachs Projects Continued Surge in Korean and Taiwanese Equity Markets

Korean and Taiwanese stock markets have surged 100% this year, primarily driven by strong corporate earnings. Goldman Sachs anticipates an additional 40% gain, citing the market's underestimation of the semiconductor cycle's longevity.
Equity markets in South Korea and Taiwan have demonstrated exceptional performance in 2026, with benchmark indices doubling year-to-date. This significant growth is primarily attributed to robust corporate earnings, particularly within the technology sector.
Goldman Sachs analysts have issued an optimistic outlook, forecasting an additional 40% upside for these markets. The core of this projection lies in their assessment that the market is currently underestimating the durability and longevity of the ongoing semiconductor cycle. This sustained demand for semiconductors is expected to continue bolstering earnings for chip manufacturers and related industries, which constitute a substantial portion of these economies' export and equity market value.
The strong earnings trajectory in these export-oriented economies signals robust global demand for technology products, despite broader macroeconomic uncertainties. The continued expansion of the semiconductor industry, driven by advancements in AI, data centers, and advanced consumer electronics, provides a structural tailwind for these markets. Should Goldman Sachs's prediction materialize, it would mark a multi-year period of significant wealth creation for investors in these regions and provide a further boost to their respective national economies, heavily reliant on technology exports.
Analyst's Take
The sustained outperformance of these highly cyclical, export-dependent markets against a backdrop of potential global economic deceleration could signal a decoupling of tech-driven growth from broader industrial activity. This divergence might indicate that the market is not fully pricing in the potential for sector-specific demand shocks or, conversely, a faster-than-anticipated rebound in global capital expenditure that has yet to manifest in other lagging indicators.