Donghak Gaemi Have Already Net Bought Over 42 Trillion Won This Year

Despite a slight dip due to market correction
Doubled compared to the same period last year
Focused buying of large-cap stocks including Samsung Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Hwajeong] As the stock market correction continues, the momentum of individual investors has somewhat weakened, but their buying stance remains intact. They have already net purchased over 40 trillion won this year.

According to the Korea Exchange on the 26th, individuals have net purchased 42.4696 trillion won in the domestic stock market up to the previous day this year. This is twice the 21.7975 trillion won recorded during the same period last year. On the other hand, foreigners and institutions have net sold 9.7485 trillion won and 30.5371 trillion won respectively this year.

The strongest net buying intensity was in January when the stock market hit its peak. Individuals poured in 25.8706 trillion won in January alone. Afterward, as the market entered a correction phase, the buying intensity weakened. In February, net purchases amounted to 9.5957 trillion won, and this month, up to the previous day, 7 trillion won was bought. On the KOSPI, individuals have maintained a net buying streak for five consecutive trading days up to the previous day, and on this day, they continued the net buying trend by purchasing 36 billion won in the early session.

Looking at the top stocks by individual net purchases, they still focus on large-cap stocks with high market capitalization. This month, individuals showed strong confidence in Samsung Electronics by buying over 2 trillion won worth. Up to the previous day this month, individuals net purchased 2.812 trillion won of Samsung Electronics. This year, individuals have bought 15.3271 trillion won worth of Samsung Electronics alone, accounting for about 36% of their total net purchases. Following that, they bought 914.8 billion won of SK Hynix, the second-largest stock by market cap. Other heavily net purchased stocks include LG Chem (551.2 billion won), Samsung SDI (522.2 billion won), SK Innovation (505.8 billion won), Samsung Electronics Preferred (422.5 billion won), Hyundai Motor (382.2 billion won), Naver (NAVER, 348.1 billion won), Kakao (336.4 billion won), and LG Electronics (243.9 billion won). Recently, battery stocks have fallen sharply due to negative news from Volkswagen, but individuals have engaged in bargain hunting and purchased many battery stocks as well.

If the stock market correction continues, the buying intensity of individuals may further weaken. Investor deposit funds, which exceeded 70 trillion won in January, have decreased to around 61 trillion won, and the proportion of individual investors in trading volume is also on a downward trend. Jo Byunghyun, a researcher at Yuanta Securities, analyzed, "The proportion of individuals in KOSPI trading volume had risen above 70% in the latter half of last year but has dropped to around 61% this month. If the concentration of individual investors, who have led the market with a high supply and demand ratio, is weakening, then a leading entity with strong market power is needed to replace them from a supply and demand perspective."

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