KOSPI Declines Below '3220' as Investment Sentiment Weakens Amid Spread of COVID-19 Delta Variant

On the 9th, as the spread of COVID-19 intensifies, the KOSPI index is displayed in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Euljiro, Seoul. On this day, the KOSPI started at 3,245.52, down 7.16 points (0.22%) from the previous session, showing a downward trend. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] The KOSPI is showing a downward trend in the early session amid cautious sentiment over the economic recovery slowdown caused by the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

As of 9:16 a.m. on the 9th, the KOSPI stood at 3,229.98, down 0.70% (22.70 points) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 3,245.52, down 7.16 points (0.07%) from the previous day.

By investor type, institutions alone purchased stocks worth 57.1 billion KRW. In contrast, individuals and institutions sold stocks worth 12.8 billion KRW and 41.8 billion KRW, respectively.

Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, explained, "The Korean stock market is expected to continue its downward trend influenced by the sharp declines in advanced markets such as the U.S. and Europe on the previous day. The upgrade to the highest level of social distancing measures, mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area, could negatively affect the investment sentiment for small and mid-cap stocks with a high proportion of domestic sales."

Among the top market capitalization stocks, most were declining. Samsung Electronics traded at 79,600 KRW, down 0.38% from the previous day. SK Hynix (-1.23%), Kakao (-0.92%), NAVER (-1.07%), and LG Chem (-0.70%) also fell. Only Samsung Biologics (0.12%) showed an increase.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index stood at 1,028.59, down 0.55% (5.67 points) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 1,031.78, down 2.70 points (0.26%) from the previous day.

By investor type, individuals were selling stocks worth 23.4 billion KRW. Foreigners and institutions were buying stocks worth 23.1 billion KRW and 0.9 billion KRW, respectively.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, the performance was mixed. Celltrion Healthcare was down 0.89% at 111,100 KRW. Celltrion Pharm (-1.29%), Pearl Abyss (-1.01%), and SK Materials (-0.49%) also declined. On the other hand, Kakao Games (2.12%), Seegene (2.54%), EcoPro BM (0.92%), and CJ ENM (0.78%) rose.

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