Flat in Early Trading... KOSPI Up 0.3%
KOSDAQ Falters
Decline Widens to Around 1%
On August 26, both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices remained flat. Early in the session, semiconductor stocks, led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, drove up the indices due to strong demand; however, the gains were soon relinquished, resulting in a cautious market sentiment.
On this day, the KOSPI opened at 6,727.25, down 0.23% from the previous day. The index quickly turned positive, reaching an intraday high of 6,829.88, up 1.29% from the day before. By 9:37 a.m., it had pulled back to 6,744.21, a 0.02% gain compared to the previous day.
By investor type, foreign investors and institutional investors were net sellers of 403.6 billion won and 40.0 billion won, respectively. Only retail investors were net buyers, purchasing a net 343.3 billion won.
Most industry sectors were on the rise. Electricity & Gas (5.63%), Construction (3.87%), Insurance (2.68%), Entertainment & Culture (2.17%), Distribution (2.06%), and General Services (2.02%) posted particularly strong gains. In contrast, the Chemicals (-2.45%), Transport & Warehousing (-1.99%), and Metals (-1.78%) sectors saw declines.
Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Life Insurance recorded the largest gain at 5.0%. It was followed by Samsung C&T (3.4%), Samsung Biologics (1.1%), Samsung Electronics (0.9%), and SK hynix (0.9%). Samsung Electro-Mechanics (-2.9%), SK Square (-0.9%), and LG Energy Solution (-0.8%) declined.
The KOSDAQ index also started lower, opening at 824.77, down 0.29% from the previous day. After fluctuating throughout the session, it remained flat. As of 9:37 a.m., the index fell further to 819.53, expanding its decline to 0.92% compared to the previous day.
Once again, only retail investors were net buyers, purchasing 128.4 billion won worth of shares. Foreign investors and institutions recorded net sales of 94.9 billion won and 34.4 billion won, respectively.
Decliners outnumbered gainers by sector. Electric & Electronic (-1.16%), Communication (-1.12%), Machinery & Equipment (-1.11%), Transportation Equipment & Parts (-1.00%), and Paper & Wood (-0.99%) posted the largest drops. On the other hand, Metals (2.35%), Entertainment & Culture (1.72%), and Textile & Apparel (1.05%) rose.
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Most of the top 10 stocks by market capitalization also declined. Many stocks fell more than 1%, including Wonik IPS (-2.4%), EO Technics (-2.2%), Jusung Engineering (-2.1%), Ecopro BM (-2.0%), Leeno Industrial (-1.9%), HLB (-1.4%), and Rainbow Robotics (-1.1%). Only Pharmaresearch (3.1%) and Alteogen (0.3%) were higher.
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