Concerns Over Escalation of Middle East War Drag Domestic Markets Lower... KOSPI Closes at 5,200

Most Sectors and Top Market Cap Stocks Decline
KOSDAQ Drops 34.46 Points to 1,107.05

Amid concerns over the escalation of the Middle East war, both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices declined.

On the 30th, the KOSPI index fell sharply by more than 4% in early trading, dropping below the 5200 mark due to surging international oil prices amid uncertainties over the Middle East war. The status of the domestic stock market was displayed on the electronic board in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. On the same day, the won-dollar exchange rate started trading at 1513.4 won, up 4.5 won from the previous trading day. March 30, 2026, Photo by Jinhyung Kang

On March 30, the KOSPI index closed at 5,277.30, down 161.57 points (2.97%) from the previous trading day.

By investor type, foreign investors recorded a net sell of 2.1335 trillion won. In contrast, individual investors and institutions posted net purchases of 897.4 billion won and 883.2 billion won, respectively.

By industry, most sectors ended lower. Stocks in securities (-6.32%), medical precision instruments (-4.20%), machinery and equipment (-4.06%), finance (-4.04%), transportation equipment and parts (-3.71%), pharmaceuticals (-3.63%), electricity and gas (-3.62%), and transportation and storage (-3.14%) declined. Only paper and wood (+1.76%) saw gains.

Among the top 20 companies by market capitalization, most stocks also declined. Mirae Asset Securities (-6.56%), SK Square (-6.25%), SK Hynix (-5.31%), Hyundai Motor Company (-5.15%), Samsung Biologics (-4.73%), KB Financial Group (-4.14%), Hanwha Ocean (-4.06%), and Doosan Enerbility (-3.98%) all closed lower. On the other hand, LG Energy Solution (+3.93%) and Samsung SDI (+1.73%) were the only two stocks that rose.

The KOSDAQ index finished at 1,107.05, down 34.46 points (3.02%) from the previous session.

By investor type, both foreign investors and institutions recorded net sells of 132.3 billion won and 118 billion won, respectively. In contrast, individual investors recorded a net purchase of 300.9 billion won.

By industry, most stocks declined. General services (-4.64%), machinery and equipment (-4.36%), transportation equipment and parts (-4.19%), electric and electronics (-3.57%), and medical precision instruments (-3.27%) fell. Only construction (+2.33%) and paper and wood (+2.16%) posted gains.

Among the top 20 companies by market capitalization, more stocks declined than rose. Wooree Technology (-7.69%), Kolon TissueGene (-7.64%), EO Technics (-7.43%), Olix (-7.23%), Alteogen (-6.96%), LIG Chem Bio (-6.79%), and Wonik IPS (-6.45%) all saw their shares fall. In contrast, Pearl Abyss (+14.97%), Samchundang Pharm (+6.57%), Voronoi (+2.07%), Ecopro BM (+0.49%), and HLB (+0.38%) posted gains.

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