Individual and Foreign 'Fate' Pushes KOSPI Down 1.52%... Falls Below 2500 Mark

KOSDAQ Falls 1.58% Amid Large-Scale Selling by Foreigners

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The KOSPI index fell below the 2500 mark due to selling pressure from individuals and foreigners.

As of 9:21 a.m. on the 17th, the KOSPI index was trading at 2487.27, down 38.37 points (1.52%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 2512.92, down 12.72 points (0.50%), but the decline widened. Institutions were the sole buyers, purchasing about 55.5 billion KRW worth of stocks, while individuals and foreigners sold approximately 20.9 billion KRW and 38.2 billion KRW worth, respectively.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, most showed declines. POSCO Holdings (-2.56%), SK Hynix (-2.50%), Naver (NAVER) (-2.25%), and LG Chem (-2.23%) fell in that order.

By sector, most were weak except for Medical Precision (0.31%). Textiles & Apparel (-3.06%), Steel & Metals (-2.47%), and Chemicals (-2.28%) declined in that order.

The U.S. stock market fell sharply and closed lower after the release of the July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes the previous day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 180.65 points (0.52%) to 34,765.74, the large-cap S&P 500 index closed at 4,404.33, down 33.53 points (0.76%), and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index ended at 13,474.63, down 156.42 points (1.15%).

The July FOMC minutes included indications of the possibility of further interest rate hikes. The minutes noted, "Participants highlighted that uncertainty about the economic outlook remains high," and "agreed that future policy decisions will depend on incoming comprehensive data, economic outlook, inflation effects, and the impact on risk balance." Additionally, concerns were expressed that excessive tightening could unnecessarily contract the economy, while a premature shift to easing policies could lead to repeated mistakes of inflation surging again.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index was recorded at 864.44, down 13.85 points (-1.58%) from the previous close. Individuals and institutions bought about 32.6 billion KRW and 16 billion KRW worth, respectively, while foreigners sold approximately 33.8 billion KRW worth.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, L&F (-1.18%), EcoPro BM (-0.66%), and HLB (-0.49%) declined, while EcoPro (0.49%) and Celltrion Pharm (0.13%) rose.

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