KOSPI Rebounds Nearly 2% to Close at 4,089 on Foreign Net Buying

SK Hynix Surges 7%, Samsung Electronics Rebounds Over 3%
AI Bubble Concerns Ease for Now... Foreign Investors Return to Net Buying

On the 17th, the KOSPI index closing price for the regular trading session was displayed in the dealing room of Shinhan Bank's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. Shinhan Bank

The KOSPI index rebounded by nearly 2% at the close. Foreign investors, who had engaged in record-high net selling last week, shifted to net buying. In particular, the rise in major semiconductor stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix drove the index upward.

On November 17, the KOSPI finished the regular session at 4,089.25, up 1.94% from the previous trading day. The index opened at 4,079.08, a 1.67% increase, dipped to the 4,045 level, but quickly rebounded.

By investor type, foreigners and institutions recorded net purchases of 573 billion won and 36.2 billion won, respectively. Foreign investors, who had set the largest single-day net selling record of the year by offloading 2.8521 trillion won on November 14, returned to net buying. In contrast, individual investors recorded net selling of 637.2 billion won.

Most sectors rose. The electrical and electronics sector posted the largest gain at 4.37%, while the electric and gas sector also climbed 3.34%. Other sectors that rose by more than 1% included medical and precision equipment (2.90%), construction (1.56%), food, beverage, and tobacco (1.42%), distribution (1.17%), and transportation equipment and parts (1.10%). In contrast, paper and wood (-2.08%), insurance (-1.73%), and transportation and warehousing (-1.17%) declined.

Most of the top 10 stocks by market capitalization also rose. Notably, SK Hynix (7.6%) and Samsung Electronics (3.4%) showed strong upward momentum. Hanwha Aerospace (2.2%) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (2.2%) also posted solid gains. KB Financial Group saw the largest decline at -1.7%, while Samsung Biologics closed unchanged.

The KOSDAQ index also closed above the 900 mark, finishing at 902.67, up 0.53% from the previous session. Although it briefly turned downward during the session, steady support allowed it to end in positive territory.

In the KOSDAQ market, individual and institutional investors recorded net purchases of 62.4 billion won and 41.8 billion won, respectively. Foreign investors recorded net selling of 48.1 billion won.

Again, more sectors rose than fell. Several sectors gained more than 1%, including pharmaceuticals (1.77%), non-metals (1.26%), general services (1.16%), distribution (1.15%), and construction (1.05%). On the other hand, chemicals (-2.36%), publishing and media reproduction (-1.99%), textiles and apparel (-1.73%), and finance (-1.15%) declined.

Most of the top 10 KOSDAQ stocks by market capitalization also rose. Samchundang Pharm (2.4%), PharmaResearch (2.3%), Ecopro BM (2.3%), ABL Bio (1.7%), Peptron (1.1%), and Ligachem Bio (1.1%) were among those that gained more than 1%. Ecopro (-1.8%) and Alteogen (-0.9%) declined.

Lee Kyungmin, a researcher at Daishin Securities, commented, "Concerns over an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble, which weighed on the market last week, have eased. Just as Nvidia and others rebounded on bargain hunting in the Nasdaq last week, domestic semiconductor stocks centered on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the KOSPI rebound. While valuation pressures and bubble debates around AI technology stocks remain, the continued absence of additional negative factors confirms that investor sentiment toward AI remains strong."

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