KOSPI Turns Down Amid US-China Trade Tension Concerns... KOSDAQ Rises

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] The KOSPI turned lower due to foreign selling pressure.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At 9:10 a.m. on the 22nd, the KOSPI was trading at 1995.08, down 0.16% (3.23 points) from the previous session. The KOSPI opened at 2001.60, up 0.16% (3.29 points) from the previous session, but soon fell below the 2000 mark. In the market, individuals and institutions bought stocks worth 35.4 billion KRW and 25.5 billion KRW respectively, while foreigners were the sole net sellers with 62.3 billion KRW.

By sector, pharmaceuticals (1.29%), food and beverages (0.60%), telecommunications (0.71%), and non-metallic minerals (0.52%) showed the highest gains. Among the top market capitalization stocks, Samsung Electronics traded at 49,350 KRW, down 1.20% from the previous day. SK Hynix (-1.8%) also declined. On the other hand, Samsung Biologics (2.46%), Naver (1.11%), Celltrion (0.46%), LG Chem (0.66%), Samsung SDI (0.15%), LG Household & Health Care (0.57%), and Kakao (0.84%) were on the rise.

On the 21st local time in the U.S., the three major stock exchanges on the New York Stock Exchange all closed lower. Sangyoung Seo, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, explained, “Amid escalating tensions between the Chinese government surrounding Hong Kong and President Donald Trump, comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Powell and members about delayed economic recovery affected the indices,” adding, “On this day, technology stocks, including those related to untact (contactless) sectors, led the decline.”

Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ index traded at 716.46, up 0.06% (0.44 points) from the previous session. The KOSDAQ opened at 717.78, up 0.25% (1.76 points) from the previous session, maintaining its upward trend. In the market, individuals were net buyers of stocks worth 58.2 billion KRW. Conversely, foreigners and institutions sold stocks worth 30.3 billion KRW and 25.6 billion KRW respectively.

By sector in the KOSDAQ market, internet (1.26%), paper and wood (0.94%), and transportation equipment parts (1.04%) showed the highest gains. Among the top market capitalization stocks, Celltrion Healthcare was up 0.11% at 92,100 KRW. HL Biopharma (0.78%), Celltrion Pharm (0.23%), Seegene (3.45%), and Alteogen (0.69%) also maintained upward momentum.

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