KOSPI Mixed Start... Early Session Foreign Inflows

On the 14th, dealers are working in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Euljiro, Seoul. On this day, the KOSPI index opened at 2715.10, down 32.61 points (1.19%) from the previous trading day. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] On the 17th, the stock market opened with mixed trends. Amid unresolved conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes reflecting a hawkish tone and the announcement of economic indicators showing signs of economic recovery are believed to be having a complex impact on the stock market.

On this day, the KOSPI opened at 2735.11, up 0.20% from the previous session. However, it soon turned downward before rising again. As of 9:10 AM, it recorded 2738.23, up 0.31%. Foreign investors engaged in net buying worth 35.7 billion KRW, while individual and institutional investors conducted net selling worth 6.1 billion KRW and 29.4 billion KRW respectively, causing the index's direction to diverge.

Among all listed stocks, 551 stocks are showing upward trends. Among the top market capitalization stocks, the sentiment in secondary battery stocks is mixed. LG Energy Solution fell 0.33%, whereas Samsung SDI rose sharply by 3.15%. Samsung Electronics, the KOSPI leader, declined by 0.13%, while LG Chem and Kakao also fell by 1.53% and 0.98%, respectively.

By sector, the transportation and warehousing industry rose the most, up 1.83%. Stocks such as Heung-A Shipping (5.69%), HMM (4.55%), Jin Air (4.08%), and Jeju Air (3.76%) are leading the sector's overall rise. Besides transportation and warehousing, sectors like non-metallic minerals, construction, and chemicals are also showing gains in the 1% range.

The KOSDAQ is also showing mixed trends. It opened at 879.12, up 0.11% from the previous session, then declined, but as of now, the rise has increased to 0.40%. Individual and institutional investors have engaged in net buying worth 26.4 billion KRW and 0.7 billion KRW respectively, while foreign investors have net sold 24.9 billion KRW, barely sustaining the index's upward momentum.

Among all stocks, 902 are showing upward trends. Gaming stocks, which had shown significant gains the previous day, are now declining. Pearl Abyss fell 1.98%, Kakao Games dropped 0.42%, and Wemade also showed a 0.46% decline. On the other hand, secondary battery-related stocks such as EcoPro BM (4.32%) and L&F (1.11%) are on the rise.

Lee Kyung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities, said, "The market environment allows for a breather, but it is still a burdensome situation to respond aggressively with confidence, so it is better to respond with some caution. In the short term, the possibility of the KOSPI attempting to recover the 2750 level remains open."

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