KOSPI Falls for 6 Consecutive Trading Days... 2500 Level 'At Risk'

The KOSPI has fallen for six consecutive trading days, threatening the 2500 level. Concerns that the Federal Reserve (Fed) may tighten its monetary policy further have put pressure on the market.

On the 18th, the KOSPI closed at 2504.50, down 15.35 points (0.61%) from the previous trading day. The index dipped as low as 2489.63 during the day but narrowed its losses over time to maintain the 2500 level. However, it could not avoid six consecutive days of decline from the 10th through this day.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note surged to 4.3%. This sparked concerns that the Fed might intensify its tightening policy. Additionally, worries about the Chinese economic slowdown increased as Chinese real estate developer Evergrande (Hengda) filed for bankruptcy protection in a New York court, further pressuring the domestic stock market.

By investor type, individual investors were net buyers with 353.5 billion KRW. In contrast, foreigners and institutions were net sellers of 65.2 billion KRW and 326.3 billion KRW, respectively.

By sector, retail, services, and chemicals fell more than 1%. Meanwhile, machinery rose by 1.10%.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, Samsung Electronics closed at 66,300 KRW, down 400 KRW (0.60%) from the previous trading day. LG Energy Solution and LG Chem both dropped more than 2%, while Samsung SDI, POSCO Future M, and Kakao fell over 1%. On the other hand, Celltrion and SK Hynix rose 4.74% and 2.09%, respectively.

In the KOSPI, four stocks including Mirae Industry and Huvis hit the upper price limit, with a total of 360 stocks rising. Meanwhile, 523 stocks declined, including Deoksung which hit the lower price limit, and 51 stocks remained unchanged.

The KOSDAQ closed at 877.32, down 8.72 points (0.98%) from the previous trading day.

By investor type, foreigners and institutions were net sellers of 192.8 billion KRW and 61.0 billion KRW, respectively. Conversely, individual investors were net buyers with 237.2 billion KRW.

By sector, entertainment and culture fell 3.24%, while general electrical and electronics and finance also dropped more than 2%. Transportation, other services, machinery and equipment, and metals declined over 1%. In contrast, retail rose 3.24%, and semiconductors and non-metallic minerals increased more than 1%.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, EcoPro BM closed at 312,000 KRW, down 6,000 KRW (1.89%) from the previous trading day. L&F fell more than 7%, while POSCO DX, JYP Entertainment, and Celltrion Pharm also dropped over 5%. Additionally, HLB, SM, WCP, and Kakao Games declined more than 1%. On the other hand, Celltrion Healthcare rose 6.69%, and HPSP and Lino Industrial increased 5.07% and 4.08%, respectively.

On this day in the KOSDAQ, 562 stocks rose, including seven stocks hitting the upper price limit such as Mobease Electronics, Nine Tech, and Experix. Meanwhile, Power Logics, which had recently surged as a superconducting-related stock but had its trading suspended for a day, hit the lower price limit. Including Power Logics, 959 stocks declined, and 71 stocks remained unchanged.

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