Fierce Battle for Top Market Cap Stocks Positions

[Asia Economy Reporter Koh Hyung-kwang] The battle for the top spots in market capitalization is fierce. Although briefly, the No. 2 spot in KOSPI market cap changed for the first time in over three years, and the No. 3 position has changed nine times this month alone.

According to the Korea Exchange on the 23rd, on the 21st, SK Hynix closed at 74,500 won, up 2,700 won (3.76%) from the previous day, reclaiming the No. 2 market cap position in just one day. Its market capitalization was 54.2362 trillion won, surpassing Samsung Biologics (52.8658 trillion won) by about 1.3 trillion won to regain the No. 2 spot in KOSPI market cap. The day before, on the 20th, SK Hynix had lost the No. 2 position to Samsung Biologics for the first time in three years and five months.

Until now, the No. 1 and No. 2 market cap positions have been firmly held by the semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. SK Hynix rose to the No. 2 spot in March 2017, overtaking Hyundai Motor, and maintained that position for over three years. However, this year, with the changes in industrial structure triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, sectors expected to thrive in the post-COVID era such as bio, untact (contactless) services, and electric vehicle batteries surged rapidly, leading to a reshuffling among the top market capitalization ranks.

The competition for the No. 3 market cap spot is also intense. It has changed nine times just this month. On the 3rd, Naver; 5th, Samsung Biologics; 6th, Naver; 7th, LG Chem; 10th, Naver; 11th, LG Chem; 12th, Samsung Biologics; 20th, SK Hynix; and 21st, Samsung Biologics have been trading places for the No. 3 position.

As of the 21st, the top five companies by market capitalization are Samsung Electronics (333.7108 trillion won), SK Hynix (54.2362 trillion won), Samsung Biologics (52.8658 trillion won), Naver (51.3323 trillion won), and LG Chem (49.3440 trillion won).

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