KOSPI Closes Slightly Higher Near 6,800... KOSDAQ Ends Lower

Net Corporate Buying Tops 1 Trillion Won
Individuals, Foreign Investors, and Institutions Post Net Sales

The KOSPI started with a decline on September 1, but turned slightly higher and finished the session near the 6,800 mark. The KOSDAQ, on the other hand, widened its losses to close down 1.56%.

On this day, the KOSPI closed at 6,835.80 on the Korea Exchange, up 0.23% from the previous trading session.

The KOSPI index opened at 6,784.29, down 35.73 points from the previous trading day, displayed on the electronic board showing the domestic stock market status at the dealing room of Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on September 1, 2026. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

At the close, investors showed a selling tendency. Individuals sold 472.4 billion won, foreign investors offloaded 541.1 billion won, and institutional investors sold 675.3 billion won. However, the net buying by other corporations amounted to 1.6888 trillion won, pushing the index higher. This is interpreted as being influenced by share buybacks from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.

By industry, retail rose 2.98%, insurance 2.15%, financials 1.52%, electric & gas 0.92%, telecommunications 0.85%, textiles & apparel 0.82%, and paper & lumber 0.60%. In contrast, construction fell by 3.50%, machinery & equipment by 1.34%, food & tobacco by 1.24%, transport equipment & parts by 1.19%, metals by 0.73%, and general services by 0.66%.

Among the top market cap stocks, performance was mixed. Samsung Electronics rose by 0.38%, SK hynix by 1.14%, SK Square by 2.89%, Samsung Biologics by 0.13%, Samsung C&T by 3.72%, and Samsung Life Insurance by 1.14%. In contrast, Samsung Electro-Mechanics declined by 1.92%, LG Energy Solution by 2.91%, and Hyundai Motor by 0.74%.

The KOSDAQ ended the session at 821.25, down 1.56% from the previous session. Individuals bought 433.8 billion won, but foreign investors and institutions posted net sales of 151.5 billion won and 274.8 billion won, respectively.

Market cap leaders on the KOSDAQ showed a broad decline, including Alteogen (-2.11%), EcoPro (-4.49%), EcoPro BM (-3.81%), Rainbow Robotics (-2.39%), Jusung Engineering (-2.26%), Wonik IPS (-1.35%), Leeno Industrial (-1.65%), EO Technics (-2.48%), Simmtech (-2.86%), and HLB (-4.35%).

According to securities industry analysts, the market's upside was limited due to external uncertainties, including tensions between the United States and the Middle East. Kyungmin Lee, a researcher at Daishin Securities, stated, "Net buying by other corporations boosted the domestic stock index, but overall market sentiment remained weak and the upside was capped as external uncertainties persisted."

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