'Battery Weakness Brings Frowns'... KOSPI and KOSDAQ Down for 2 Consecutive Trading Days

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Rise
Battery Sector Declines in Both Major Indices

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The KOSPI and KOSDAQ closed lower for the second consecutive trading day. The decline in the battery sector dragged down both major indices. However, in the KOSPI market, the semiconductor sector, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, ended on an upward trend.

On the 21st, the KOSPI closed at 2,544.40, down 0.73% (18.71 points) from the previous day. The KOSPI started the day down 0.25% (6.41 points) at 2,556.70 and continued its downward trend.

Foreign investors turned to a 'buy' stance during the session but failed to reverse the index. Individual and institutional investors sold a net 195.3 billion KRW and 92.3 billion KRW, respectively. Foreign investors alone bought a net 273.7 billion KRW. In the futures market, individuals alone bought a net 149.7 billion KRW, while foreign and individual investors sold 56.7 billion KRW and 95.4 billion KRW, respectively.

Among the top 10 market capitalization stocks, only the semiconductor sector ended higher. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose by +0.61% and +1.60%, respectively, compared to the previous day. In contrast, LG Chem fell 3.63%, POSCO Holdings 3.30%, Samsung SDI 2.00%, LG Energy Solution 1.38%, Hyundai Motor 1.09%, and Kia 0.95%. The weakness in the battery and automobile sectors was prominent.

The KOSDAQ closed at 868.82, down 1.91% (16.89 points) from the previous day. It started the day down 0.16% (1.44 points) at 884.27, briefly reversed to an upward trend during the session, but soon returned to a downward trend.

As foreign and institutional investors expanded their 'sell' stance, the index's decline widened. On the day, foreign and institutional investors sold a net 158.2 billion KRW and 68.0 billion KRW, respectively. Individual investors alone bought a net 246.2 billion KRW but it was not enough to cushion the decline.

Looking at the top 10 market capitalization stocks, the sharp decline in battery stocks was notable. EcoPro BM, the largest by market cap, plunged 7.31%, recording the largest drop. This was followed by EcoPro -5.75%, L&F -2.42%, Celltrion Pharm -1.28%, and Kakao Games -0.49%. HLB (+0.14%) was the only stock to close higher.

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