Donghak Ants' Profit-Taking vs Returning Foreigners... KOSPI 3200 Struggles

On the 20th, the KOSPI index and the KRW-USD exchange rate are displayed on the electronic board in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji Yeon-jin] On the 26th, the stock market is showing an upward trend due to the improved earnings of domestic companies. The KOSPI index even recovered to 3200 during the session, supported by foreign investors' buying momentum.

As of 10:30 AM, the KOSPI was trading at 3200.16, up 14.06 points (0.45%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 3191.34, up 5.24 points (0.16%) from the previous close, then expanded its gains and is trading around the 3200 level.

Individual investors, who had net bought about 100 billion KRW in the early session, increased their selling during the session, while foreigners, who had been net sellers, switched to net buying. As of 10:30 AM, individuals had net bought about 6.8 billion KRW, and foreigners were net buying about 51.7 billion KRW. Institutions were net selling about 46.2 billion KRW.

In the stock market today, stocks with clear earnings improvements showed sharp rises. POSCO International, which achieved its highest quarterly earnings, surged 10% during the session but is now trimming gains. Hana Financial Group also recorded strong first-quarter earnings this year and rose to 44,200 KRW during the session, hitting a 52-week high. Lee Jin-woo, a researcher at Meritz Securities, said, "Although the market is burdened by having risen to the upper end of the trading range, strong corporate earnings are providing support from below," adding, "The global market has shifted to a risk-on (aggressive investment) stance, calming foreign selling, but aggressive buying has not yet appeared."

Among the top market capitalization stocks, Samsung Electronics (0.24%), Kakao (0.43%), and Hyundai Motor (0.45%) are showing firm gains. SK Hynix (-0.75%), Naver (NAVER, -0.66%), LG Chem (-0.34%), and Samsung Biologics (-0.25%) are slightly down. Kia Motors is up 1.72%.

The KOSDAQ index is up 1.43 points (0.14%) from the previous day, standing at 1028.25. Individuals net bought about 144.3 billion KRW, while foreigners and institutions net sold about 108.2 billion KRW and 31.5 billion KRW, respectively.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, EcoPro BM (1.92%) and Studio Dragon (1.19%) showed gains, and Kakao Games (0.17%) is steady. Most stocks, including Celltrion Healthcare (-1.79%) and Celltrion Pharm (-1.63%), are declining.

Seo Jeong-hoon, a researcher at Samsung Securities, predicted, "Although foreigners have been selling in recent days, the inflow trend will continue as it did in early April."

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