KOSPI Flat After Early Gains, KOSDAQ Turns Lower

Foreign and Institutional Sell-Off Continues
Most Sectors Remain Weak

The KOSPI index remained flat after initially rising on July 21, 2026, as foreign and institutional investors continued to sell off their holdings. Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ index turned downward.

On the 21st, employees are monitoring the stock market and exchange rates in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI opened at 6553.88, up 0.58% from the previous trading day, but showed mixed trends with repeated fluctuations. July 21, 2026 Photo by Cho Yongjun

As of 9:31 a.m. on that day, the KOSPI was trading at 6,519.16, down 2.89 points (0.04%) from the previous trading day. By investor type, foreigners and institutions were net sellers, selling 48.131 billion won and 300.511 billion won, respectively. Individual investors were net buyers, purchasing 323.798 billion won.

Most sectors showed weakness. Telecommunications (-2.29%), securities (-1.85%), paper & lumber (-1.68%), transport equipment & parts (-1.67%), and electric & gas utilities (-1.56%) sectors were all declining. Electrical & electronics (+0.93%), manufacturing (+0.41%), and food & beverage & tobacco (+0.20%) sectors showed modest gains.

Among the top stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics, the leading company, was trading at 249,500 won, up 5,500 won (2.2%) from the previous day. SK hynix (+0.5%), SK Square (-0.4%), LG Energy Solution (-0.6%), and Samsung C&T (+0.4%) were trading flat. On the other hand, stocks such as Hanwha Ocean (-4.2%), Hana Financial Group (-3.9%), Hyosung Heavy Industries (-3.7%), and Hyundai Motor (-3.2%) were down more than 3%.

The KOSDAQ index was trading at 732.35, down 17.29 points (2.31%). Foreigners and institutions were net sellers, selling 50.387 billion won and 2.496 billion won, respectively, while individuals were net buyers with a net purchase of 48.553 billion won.

All sectors on the KOSDAQ were weak. Pharmaceuticals (-3.69%), general services (-3.46%), non-metallic minerals (-3.41%), machinery & equipment (-2.71%), publishing & media replication (-2.49%), medical & precision equipment (-2.48%), and transport & warehousing (-2.02%) sectors were all experiencing declines.

Among the leading market cap stocks, most were also weak. Alteogen, the market leader, fell by 2.7%. Ecopro BM, the number two stock, declined by 0.2%, while Ecopro, ranked third, dipped by 0.8%. The share price of Samchundang Pharm plummeted by 19.6% that day. On the previous day, Samchundang Pharm had announced that it had received a pre-ANDA (pre-approval consultation procedure for an abbreviated new drug application) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its oral semaglutide, which sent its stock to the daily upper limit.

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