KOSPI Decline Narrows... Strengthened Individual Net Buying

On the 18th, the KOSPI opened at 2714.52, down 29.57 points (1.08%) from the previous trading day, at the Hana Bank dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul. The KOSDAQ started at 862.19, down 12.03 points (1.38%) from the previous trading day, and the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1199.0 won, up 1.9 won from the previous trading day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] On the 21st, the KOSPI started lower but has been narrowing its losses during the morning session. The index opened down due to the fallout from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but volatility is decreasing amid changes in the international situation.

As of 10:43 AM, the KOSPI opened at 2732.07, down 0.45% from the previous close. Individual investors are supporting the index by net buying worth 351 billion KRW. Meanwhile, foreign investors and institutions are net selling with amounts of 66.8 billion KRW and 291.6 billion KRW, respectively.

Among all listed stocks, 346 are showing gains. Unlike the early session, some of the large-cap stocks are rising. Kakao is trading up 2.19% at 93,400 KRW, and Samsung Biologics is up 0.79% at 763,000 KRW. On the other hand, Samsung Electronics, the KOSPI heavyweight, is down 0.94%, and LG Energy Solution has fallen 0.88%. SK Hynix and NAVER are also down approximately 1.14% and 1.26%, respectively.

Among the 18 industry sectors, only transportation and warehousing (0.32%), electric and gas utilities (0.20%), and machinery (0.13%) are showing upward trends. The transportation and warehousing sector includes shipping companies such as Heung-A Shipping (3.40%), KSS Shipping (2.97%), Jeju Air (1.88%), and Korea Line Corporation (1.53%), all of which are on the rise.

The KOSDAQ index is down 0.26% at 879.36 compared to the previous close. Individual investors are defending the index by net buying worth 92.7 billion KRW, while foreign investors and institutions are net selling 78.7 billion KRW and 7.8 billion KRW, respectively.

The USD/KRW exchange rate, which started higher earlier in the day, reversed to a downward trend as of 10:36 AM. At this time, it is trading down 0.07% at 1195.20 KRW.

Meanwhile, on the 21st (local time), French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a US-Russia summit to US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and both parties accepted. However, it is reported that the US-Russia summit can only take place on the condition that Russia does not invade Ukraine.

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