Individuals and Foreigners Turn Net Sellers as KOSPI Gives Up Gains

KOSDAQ Starts Firm, Then Turns Lower
Foreign Investors Lead Selling Trend

The KOSPI rebounded after a long time and closed higher. However, the early gains in the session were given up, and it ended at a slightly positive level.

On August 21, the KOSPI finished trading at 3,141.74, up 0.37% from the previous day. Earlier this week, the 3,200 level was breached, leading to consecutive declines, but the index finally closed higher after a while. At one point in the afternoon, the index surged over 1% compared to the previous day, reaching the 3,166 range, but then gave up those gains and trended downward.

By investor type, both individual and institutional investors continued to be net sellers. They sold a net 84.2 billion KRW and 235.4 billion KRW, respectively. In contrast, foreign investors were net buyers of 209.1 billion KRW.

The KOSDAQ closed slightly lower at 777.24, down 0.05% from the previous day. Like the KOSPI, it showed an upward trend after a long time, but failed to maintain it until the close.

Nevertheless, the majority of sectors recorded gains. The machinery and equipment sector posted the largest increase at 4.05%. This was followed by construction (3.69%), electricity and gas (2.22%), transportation equipment and parts (1.86%), chemicals (1.29%), textiles and apparel (1.22%), and metals (1.03%), all of which rose by more than 1%. On the other hand, electrical and electronics (-0.88%), transportation and warehousing (-0.79%), telecommunications (-0.54%), and pharmaceuticals (-0.22%) declined.

Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, Doosan Enerbility posted the largest gain at 7.8%. This was followed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (4.5%) and Hanwha Aerospace (2.4%). In contrast, SK Hynix (-3.9%), LG Energy Solution (-1.1%), and Kia (-0.9%) fell.

In the KOSDAQ market, both foreigners and institutions continued to be net sellers. They sold a net 89.4 billion KRW and 93.8 billion KRW, respectively. Individuals were net buyers of 196.2 billion KRW.

Performance varied by sector. Paper and wood (4.06%), metals (1.10%), publishing and media reproduction (1.01%), and food, beverage, and tobacco (1.00%) rose, while general services (-1.87%), non-metallic minerals (-0.44%), and entertainment and culture (-0.32%) declined.

The top 10 stocks by market capitalization were sharply divided. Pharmaresearch (4.0%), HLB (3.4%), and Peptron (3.0%) posted notable gains. In contrast, Alteogen (-3.5%), Samchundang Pharm (-2.5%), Ecopro (-1.6%), and LIG ChemBio (-1.7%) fell.

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.