KOSPI Soars Over 4%, Buy Sidecar Triggered During Trading Session
Foreign and Institutional Buying Drives KOSPI Rally
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix Each Surge 7% and 6%
KOSPI is currently rising by over 4%, driven by strong buying from foreign and institutional investors. Due to the sharp spike in the index, a buy-sidecar (temporary suspension of program buying orders) was triggered at one point.
As of 1:50 p.m. on July 21, 2026, KOSPI is trading at 6,821.56, up 305.29 points (4.69%) from the previous trading day. By investor type, foreign investors are net buyers of 502.177 billion won, institutions 1,888.801 billion won, while individual investors are net sellers of 2,346.335 billion won.
At 12:41:29 p.m. on the same day, the KOSPI 200 futures index was up 53.44 points (5.17%) from the previous closing at 1,086.58, which triggered a five-minute buy-sidecar.
By sector, all industries except paper & wood (-0.71%), non-metallic (-0.46%), and metal (-0.22%) are showing strong gains. Electrical & electronics (6.18%), manufacturing (5.12%), distribution (5.38%), and electricity & gas (3.23%) are each up more than 3%.
Among the largest stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics (7.1%) and SK hynix (6.0%) are posting significant gains. Samsung C&T (8.1%), SK Square (6.8%), Samsung Biologics (4.7%), Samsung Electro-Mechanics (3.2%), and Samsung Life Insurance (3.1%) are also strong performers.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index is trading at 755.65, up 6.01 points (0.80%) from the previous session. Foreign investors and institutions are net sellers with 157.962 billion won and 17.486 billion won, respectively, while individuals are net buyers with 170.454 billion won.
By sector, all categories except pharmaceuticals (-3.08%), publishing & media replication (-1.99%), general services (-0.76%), and textiles & apparel (-0.66%) are rising. Construction (2.41%), distribution (2.24%), machinery & equipment (2.33%), and electrical & electronics (2.06%) are showing particular strength.
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Among the top market cap stocks, all three leaders—Alteogen (1.3%), Ecopro BM (2.1%), and Ecopro (2.1%)—are up. Rainbow Robotics (11.7%), Padu (6.8%), and PharmaResearch (5.2%) are each posting gains exceeding 5%. However, bio stocks such as Samchundang Pharm (-29.7%), which hit the upper limit the previous day, as well as Regaceme Bio (-4.3%) and Caregen (-4.3%), are weaker.
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