KOSPI Closes Above 6,700, Up Over 3% on Foreign and Institutional Buying

"Investor Sentiment in Semiconductors Improves... Power Equipment Sees Bargain Hunting"
KOSDAQ Closes at 753.34, Robot Stocks Lead Gains

The KOSPI index soared by over 3%, closing above the 6,700 mark. This rally was driven by the continued buying activity of foreign and institutional investors.

As the KOSPI showed mixed movements with fluctuations early in the session before turning to an upward trend, employees are monitoring the stock market and exchange rates in the dealing room at Hana Bank's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on July 21, 2026. Photo by Jo Yongjun

On July 21, 2026, the KOSPI index closed at 6,747.95, up 231.68 points (3.56%) from the previous trading day. By investor type, foreigners made net purchases of KRW 595,929 million, institutions bought KRW 1,647,998 million on a net basis, while individuals sold a net KRW 2,164,715 million.

Most sectors ended higher. Distribution (+5.15%), electrical & electronics (+4.76%), manufacturing (+3.92%), medical & precision instruments (+2.86%), and machinery & equipment (+2.32%) performed strongly. On the other hand, non-metallic minerals (-1.12%), paper & wood (-0.87%), and metals (-0.63%) closed lower.

Among the top-cap stocks, the first and second largest, Samsung Electronics (+6.1%) and SK hynix (+4.0%), each closed up more than 3%. Also ending higher were Samsung C&T (+8.1%), SK Square (+6.4%), LS ELECTRIC (+5.4%), Samsung Biologics (+4.8%), LG Energy Solution (+3.7%), and Doosan Enerbility (+3.0%). In contrast, Hanwha Ocean (-1.5%), Hana Financial Group (-0.6%), and Celltrion (-0.5%) closed lower.

Lee Kyungmin, a researcher at Daishin Securities, commented, "The KOSPI index showed strength across most sectors thanks to net buying by foreigners, institutions, and financial investors. In particular, the semiconductor sector benefitted from robust export performance in July, as well as a rebound in U.S. memory semiconductors, which appears to have improved investment sentiment. The power equipment sector also performed strongly amid inflows of bargain-hunting demand."

The KOSDAQ index closed at 753.34, up 3.70 points (0.49%) from the prior trading day. By investor type, individuals made net purchases of KRW 139,173 million, while foreigners and institutions posted net sales of KRW 139,773 million and KRW 6,218 million, respectively.

By sector, all but a few rose: with the exception of chemicals (-3.49%), publishing & media duplication (-1.11%), textiles & apparel (-0.73%), and general services (-0.67%), all sectors closed higher. Transportation & warehousing (+1.98%), electrical & electronics (+1.84%), construction (+1.81%), machinery & equipment (+1.74%), other manufacturing (+1.22%), and transportation equipment & parts (+1.15%) all posted gains.

Among the top companies by market capitalization, results were mixed. The top-ranked Alteogen climbed 1.3%, while the second- and third-largest, EcoPro BM (+1.7%) and EcoPro (+2.3%), ended higher. Robot stocks such as Rainbow Robotics (+9.7%) and Robotis (+6.9%) also posted strong gains. In contrast, bio stocks including Samchundang Pharm (-29.7%), Caregen (-5.8%), and Ligachem Bio (-3.6%) showed weakness.

Meanwhile, as of 3:30 p.m. in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar exchange rate stood at 1,473.4 won, down 5.0 won from the previous weekly closing price.

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