KOSPI Hits Another All-Time High, Surpasses 5,220 Mark

by Jang Hyowon

Published 29 Jan.2026 16:02(KST)

Yonhap News

The KOSPI index surpassed the 5,220 mark, setting a new all-time high.

On January 29, the KOSPI closed at 5,221.25, up 50.44 points (0.98%) from the previous day, marking the highest level in its history. Trading volume for the day was provisionally tallied at 689.87 million shares, with a trading value of 35.3956 trillion won.

The KOSPI opened higher, buoyed by the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady and strong earnings from major companies, but experienced extreme volatility throughout the session. The index fell by as much as 1.8% during the day due to foreign investor selling, but rebounded to rise more than 1% as individual investors stepped in to buy.

By investor type, institutional investors and foreigners recorded net sales of 150 billion won and 1.5096 trillion won, respectively, while individual investors recorded net purchases of 1.6172 trillion won. In the futures market, institutions and individuals posted net purchases of 756.5 billion won and 291.6 billion won, respectively, while foreigners recorded net sales of 1.0173 trillion won. Program trading saw a net purchase of 69.6 billion won in arbitrage trades and a net sale of 1.4489 trillion won in non-arbitrage trades.

Most sectors rose. Securities surged by 9.99% on increased trading value following the market rally. Other strong performers included machinery and equipment (3.0%), transportation and storage (2.93%), finance (2.57%), electricity and gas (2.56%), transportation equipment (2.39%), metals (2.33%), IT services (2.18%), non-metals (1.89%), medical precision (1.68%), insurance (1.41%), and construction (1.26%). In contrast, pharmaceuticals and electrical/electronic sectors ended the session slightly lower.

Among large-cap stocks, most companies advanced. SK Hynix gained 2.38%, Hyundai Motor 7.21%, SK Square 5.36%, Hanwha Aerospace 0.93%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries 0.34%, Kia 3.47%, Doosan Enerbility 2.17%, and NAVER 3.42%. On the other hand, Samsung Electronics fell 1.05%, while LG Energy Solution, Samsung Biologics, and KB Financial Group finished the session little changed.

The number of advancing stocks was 581, while 286 stocks declined and 59 remained unchanged. Two stocks hit the daily upper price limit.

The KOSDAQ index also reached its highest level in about 25 years and 5 months since August 2000. The KOSDAQ closed at 1,164.41, up 30.89 points (2.73%) from the previous day. By investor type, institutions and foreigners recorded net purchases of 2.0421 trillion won and 225.6 billion won, respectively, while individuals recorded net sales of 2.1279 trillion won.

Most large-cap KOSDAQ stocks rose. Ecopro BM surged 7.42%, Ecopro 2.02%, Rainbow Robotics 9.35%, ABL Bio 1.66%, Samchundang Pharm 10.35%, Kolon TissueGene 7.3%, Peptron 5.69%, LIG ChemBio 3.21%, Leeno Industrial 5.98%, Caregen 9.34%, and PharmaResearch 3.69%. In contrast, Alteogen and HLB closed lower.