KOSPI Starts by Recovering 7,100 Mark... KOSDAQ Edges Down

KOSPI Rises Over 2% in Early Trading
Foreign Investors Net Buyers, Individuals and Institutions Sell

After the holiday, the KOSPI started the session by recovering the 7,100-point level. The KOSDAQ opened slightly higher but turned downward in early trading.

As of 9:10 a.m. on August 18, 2026, at the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI was trading at 7,120.82, up 2.05% from the previous session.

On the 14th, the status of the domestic stock market was displayed on the electronic board at the Hana Bank dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul, as the KOSPI index recovered above 7,000 in early trading due to the strength of US tech stocks. It is the first time in 15 trading days since July 24 that the KOSPI index surpassed 7,000 during the session. August 14, 2026 Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Individual investors sold shares worth 554.7 billion won in early trading to realize profits, while institutions recorded a net sale of 203.5 billion won. In contrast, foreign investors net bought 782.9 billion won, leading the index higher.

Sector-wise, the trends were clear. Electrical & Electronics rose by 3.77%, Manufacturing by 2.70%, Insurance by 2.65%, Transportation & Storage by 1.27%, Telecommunications by 1.44%, Finance by 0.81%, and Retail by 0.67%. However, Pharmaceuticals fell by 1.58%, Securities by 1.54%, Entertainment & Culture by 1.06%, Real Estate by 0.98%, and Utilities (Electricity & Gas) by 0.89%.

Among the top stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics rose by 3.46%, SK hynix by 6.26%, SK Square by 5.29%, Samsung Electro-Mechanics by 0.51%, Samsung Life Insurance by 3.32%, and Samsung C&T by 1.90%. On the other hand, Hyundai Motor fell by 0.44%, LG Energy Solution by 2.57%, Samsung Biologics by 1.61%, and KB Financial Group by 1.01%.

The KOSDAQ started the day up 0.22% at 866.59, but reversed into negative territory during the session and was trading at 858.31, down 0.73%.

Individual investors posted a net purchase of 122.7 billion won, while foreign investors and institutions recorded net sales of 83.5 billion won and 34.3 billion won, respectively.

The performance of the KOSDAQ's top market cap stocks was mixed. Market leader Alteogen fell by 2.71%, while Ecopro dropped 2.99%, Ecopro BM 3.77%, Leeno Industrial 3.53%, and ABL Bio 4.04%. On the other hand, gainers included Rainbow Robotics up 0.40%, Jusung Engineering up 5.57%, Wonik IPS up 1.89%, HLB up 0.35%, and EO Technics up 5.69%.

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