Semiconductor and Automobile Strength Push Kospi Above 3000 Again... Closes Up 1.4% from Previous Day

Return of Foreigners, Net Buying Around 800 Billion Won... Largest Daily Scale Since August
KOSDAQ Stalls... Secondary Battery and Game Stocks Decline

On the afternoon of the 22nd, when the KOSPI recovered the 3,000-point level, an employee is passing in front of the index electronic board in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The KOSPI closed above the 3010 mark, buoyed by the rise of major semiconductor and automobile stocks. Foreign investors' buying momentum also reached its highest level since August.

On the 22nd, the KOSPI closed at 3013.25, up 1.42% (42.23 points) from the previous trading day. After a firm start at 2983.38, it steadily increased and settled above the 3010 level. This is the first time since the 2nd that the closing price surpassed the 3010 mark.

Buying by foreign and institutional investors lifted the index. They net purchased stocks worth 796.4 billion KRW and 567.1 billion KRW, respectively. For foreign investors, this was the highest single-day net purchase since August 31, when they bought 1.1233 trillion KRW. Individual investors net sold stocks worth 1.37 trillion KRW.

More sectors rose than fell. The electric and electronics sector posted the largest gain of 4.09%. This was followed by transportation equipment (2.71%), manufacturing (2.26%), and paper and wood products (1.20%). Meanwhile, medical precision (-2.61%), textiles and apparel (-1.60%), and banking (-1.29%) declined.

Overall, the rise of large semiconductor and automobile stocks drove the KOSPI index higher. Last week, Micron Technology presented a positive outlook, citing easing memory price declines in the first half of next year and increased server demand, which expanded expectations for semiconductor industry improvement. Additionally, anticipation of resolving the supply shortage of automotive semiconductors appears to have attracted investor sentiment.

Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, SK Hynix showed the largest gain at 7.17%. Samsung Electronics (5.20%), Hyundai Motor (4.30%), and Kia (2.27%) also ranked high. Other gainers included NAVER (1.49%), Kakao (1.18%), LG Chem (0.92%), and Celltrion (0.90%). Only Samsung Biologics (-1.79%) and Samsung SDI (-1.45%) declined.

The KOSDAQ closed at 1032.31, down 0.92% (9.61 points) from the previous trading day. After a firm start at 1043.55, it quickly began to decline. Around 10:47 AM, it dropped to as low as 1023.13.

By investor type, only individual investors net purchased stocks worth 198.5 billion KRW. Foreign and institutional investors net sold stocks worth 148.7 billion KRW and 58.6 billion KRW, respectively.

More sectors fell than rose. The entertainment and culture sector saw the largest drop at -6.23%, followed by digital content (-4.60%), IT software & services (-4.02%), and publishing & media replication (-3.97%). Semiconductor (2.70%) and telecommunications equipment (2.10%) sectors rose. The decline in major market cap sectors such as secondary battery materials and gaming is attributed to profit-taking after previous gains.

Among the top 10 market cap stocks, gaming and secondary battery material sectors mainly showed significant declines. Kakao Games had the largest drop at -9.77%. Other gaming stocks such as Pearl Abyss (-2.81%) and Wemade (-0.08%) also fell. Secondary battery material companies like L&F (-6.33%) and EcoPro BM (-1.37%) declined as well. Additionally, CJ ENM (-5.54%) and HLB (-4.19%) dropped. Celltrion Healthcare (1.93%) and SK Materials (1.26%) rose.

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