KOSPI Briefly Rebounds, Then Slides Again... Down 3.7%
KOSDAQ Recovers Slightly
The KOSPI index initially rebounded after an early drop, but it has since returned to a downward trend. The KOSDAQ also pared some of its early losses.
As of 1:30 p.m. on September 2, 2026, the KOSPI index on the Korea Exchange stood at 6,584.77, down 3.67% from the previous session. The KOSPI started the day at 6,625.47, a 3.08% drop, partially recovering in the morning before slipping again in the afternoon.
Foreign investors and institutions were net sellers, offloading 1.599 trillion won and 1.638 trillion won, respectively. In contrast, individual investors were net buyers, picking up 1.982 trillion won.
By sector, all categories declined except for medical precision instruments (up 0.83%) and textiles & apparel (up 0.04%). Transportation equipment & parts fell by 5.44%, while electrical & electronics dropped 4.13%, construction was down 4.02%, and manufacturing lost 3.97%.
As the U.S.-Iran war escalates again and the New York stock market declined for three consecutive trading days, the domestic KOSPI also started with a drop of over 3 percent on the 2nd. At the dealing room of Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, employees are monitoring the stock market and exchange rates. On this day, the KOSPI opened at 6,625.47, down 210.33 points (3.08%) from the previous session, and the KOSDAQ started at 797.73, down 23.52 points (2.86%). September 2, 2026. Photo by Jo Yongjun.
View original imageAmong the large-cap stocks by market capitalization, most names declined except for Meritz Financial Group (up 4%), S-Oil (up 0.6%), Woori Financial Group (up 0.1%), and Shinhan Financial Group (up 0.2%). SK fell 7.6%, POSCO Future M dropped 7.4%, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering declined 7.2%, Doosan slid 7%, SK Square dropped 7%, and HD Hyundai Electric fell 6.6%. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix lost 4.2% and 4.4%, respectively.
As of the same time, the KOSDAQ was trading at 812.69, down 1.04% compared to the previous session. The KOSDAQ index started at 802.8, a 2.25% decline, and after regaining some losses, it was moving sideways.
Foreign investors and individuals were net buyers on the KOSDAQ, purchasing 81.2 billion won and 43 billion won, respectively, while institutions sold a net 121.6 billion won.
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For top-cap stocks on the KOSDAQ, performances diverged. Seojin System dropped 8.4%; Jeju Semiconductor fell 6.4%; Hyundai Movex was down 5.6%; Ecopro fell 4.9%; SPG dropped 4.8%; and Ecopro BM lost 4.6%. Conversely, ISC surged 9.8%, with TSE up 4.9%, Voronoi up 3.9%, EO Technics up 3%, and Jusung Engineering up 2.6%.
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