Korea ranks 11th worldwide in market cap

The combined market capitalization of South Korean firms listed on the main and secondary bourse ranks 11th among global peers, claiming 1.77 percent of the total, on the back of a rise in market heavyweights, such as Samsung Electronics, data showed Sunday.

The combined market cap of the world's stock markets reached a record high of $88.59 trillion as of Thursday, increasing 35 percent from a year ago, as optimism over a global economic recovery fueled a rally in advanced and emerging stock markets, according to the data compiled by Bloomberg. 

The US stock markets have continued to renew their all-time highs this year, with peers in Germany and India also hitting record highs last week.

The market capitalization of South Korea's stock market reached $1.57 trillion, accounting for some 1.77 percent of the total market cap around the globe.

Its market cap has surged 25.1 percent so far this year, the fifth-largest gain after France's 33.9 percent rise, Germany's 29.2 percent gain, Hong Kong's 26.8 percent advance and India's 26.1 percent jump, according to the data.

The data showed the market cap of the US stock market reached $28.47 trillion as of Friday, making up 32 percent of the total market cap worldwide, followed by China with $7.74 trillion, or 8.7 percent, Japan with $5.98 trillion, or 6.8 percent, and Hong Kong with $5.19 trillion, or 5.9 percent. (Yonhap)