KOSPI Posts Record Single-Day Gain, Surges Over 1,000 Points in One Day

Sharp 18% Rebound
SK hynix Hits Intra-Day All-Time Upper Limit
KOSDAQ Soars Over 10%

As semiconductor-related stocks surged, with SK hynix hitting the daily upper price limit for the first time ever during trading, the KOSPI index also soared by 18%. The KOSDAQ index climbed by more than 10%.

On July 31, the KOSPI closed at 6,595.45, up 1,001.89 points (17.91%) from the previous trading day. After opening at 5,657.79, which was 64.23 points higher than the day before, the KOSPI soared rapidly, triggering a buy-side sidecar. At around 9:06 a.m., due to volatility in the KOSPI 200 futures index, program buy orders were suspended for five minutes in the KOSPI market. At the time of the sidecar activation, the KOSPI 200 futures index had jumped 129.90 points (14.97%) from the previous closing price to 997.50. Just one second after the sidecar was triggered in the KOSPI market, a buy-side sidecar was also activated in the KOSDAQ market.

After fluctuating, the index regained momentum around 1:20 p.m. and finished up close to 18% higher. The KOSPI's gain on this day marks its highest ever, surpassing the previous record set on October 30, 2008 (11.95%) when the U.S.-Korea currency swap agreement provided a boost during the global financial crisis.

Net buying by foreign investors drove the sharp rally. According to the Korea Exchange, foreigners bought 7.182 trillion won while institutions purchased 1.1783 trillion won. In contrast, retail investors sold a net 8.2543 trillion won.

On the 31st, the KOSPI index surged more than 16% in early trading, quickly reclaiming the 6,500 level as the session began. The index status board in the dealing room of Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, displays the index. 2026.07.31 Photo by Dongju Yoon

By sector, all rose except for food, beverages & tobacco (-2.91%) and pharmaceuticals (-1.42%). Electric & electronics, which includes semiconductors, surged by 26.53%. Manufacturing climbed 21.12%, while medical & precision instruments (16.22%), machinery & equipment (12.58%), securities (11.33%), retail (10.93%), and construction (10.41%) also posted gains.

Among major stocks by market capitalization, Doosan, SK hynix, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and SK Square all hit the daily upper limit (30%). Samsung Electronics also rose by 26.8%. Others posting gains included Hanmi Semiconductor (27.9%), Hyosung Heavy Industries (27.6%), LS ELECTRIC (22.9%), and Samsung C&T (19.5%). In contrast, SK Innovation fell 5.2%, and KT&G (-3.6%), Samsung Biologics (-2.7%), Celltrion (-1.7%), and Shinhan Financial Group (-0.1%) all declined.

The KOSDAQ index finished at 719.76, up 74.98 points (11.63%) from the previous session. After opening at 666.47, up 21.69 points from the day before, the KOSDAQ continued to rise throughout the session and closed higher. Foreign investors and institutions were net buyers of 169.3 billion won and 295.2 billion won, respectively, while individuals sold a net 468.7 billion won.

Among KOSDAQ stocks with the highest market capitalization, TES, Techwing, TSE, Simmtech, Jeju Semiconductor, and Padu all hit the daily upper limit (30%). Other notable gainers included VME, which soared 29.4%, Wonik IPS (27.9%), PSK (27.8%), Eugene Technology (26.7%), PSK Holdings (26.6%), and Jusung Engineering (26.6%). In contrast, Pharmaresearch declined by 2.7%.

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