KOSPI and KOSDAQ Weaken in Early Trading as Volatility Persists

KOSPI Holds Above 5,500 Mark, Shows Slight Decline
KOSDAQ Also Drops 0.20% from Previous Day

As volatility continues to characterize the domestic stock market, both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices showed weakness in early trading on March 12.

On the 12th, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened at 5567.65, down 42.30 points from the previous trading day, with the domestic stock market status displayed on the electronic board in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. On the same day, the won-dollar exchange rate started trading at 1480.1 won, up 13.6 won from the previous day. March 12, 2026 Photo by Jinhyung Kang

As of 9:11 a.m. on this day, the KOSPI was trading at 5,557.71, down 0.93% (52.24 points) from the previous day.

By investor type, individuals were net buyers with a net purchase of 579.02 billion won, while foreign investors and institutional investors were net sellers with net sales of 308.078 billion won and 276.398 billion won, respectively.

Performance varied by sector. Insurance (-2.21%), electrical and electronics (-1.33%), pharmaceuticals (-1.40%), securities (-1.29%), telecommunications (-1.15%), and medical and precision instruments (-0.92%) all showed weakness. In contrast, construction (+1.71%), non-metallic materials (+1.18%), and metals (+1.11%) showed modest gains.

Among large-cap stocks, the trend was also mixed. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix declined by 1.4% and 1.8% from the previous day, respectively. Hyundai Mobis (-4.0%), SK Inc. (-2.7%), Woori Financial Group (-2.5%), Samsung Life Insurance (-2.4%), Samsung Biologics (-1.9%), KB Financial Group (-1.8%), and Hyundai Motor (-1.7%) also posted declines. On the other hand, Samsung Heavy Industries (+4.5%), SK Innovation (+4.1%), Hanwha Aerospace (+2.7%), HD Hyundai (+2.1%), and Hyundai Engineering & Construction (+1.8%) saw their stock prices rise.

On the 12th, the KOSPI index opened at 5567.65, down 42.30 points from the previous trading day. The current status of the domestic stock market was displayed on the electronic board in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. On the same day, the USD-KRW exchange rate started trading at 1480.1 KRW, up 13.6 KRW from the previous trading day. Photo by Jinhyung Kang, March 12, 2026

The KOSDAQ was trading at 1,134.51, down 0.20% (2.32 points) from the previous day.

By investor type, individuals were net buyers with a net purchase of 202.458 billion won, while foreign investors and institutions were net sellers with net sales of 158.086 billion won and 32.979 billion won, respectively.

By sector, metals (+1.38%), chemicals (+0.41%), and paper and wood (+0.37%) showed strong to steady performance, while non-metallic materials (-1.23%), financials (-0.63%), and transportation and storage (-0.22%) showed weak to steady declines.

Among the top market cap stocks, performance was mixed as well. Woori Technology (-4.3%), Pearl Abyss (-2.7%), Caregen (-1.7%), Voronoi (-1.2%), and Ecopro (-0.6%) showed weakness. On the other hand, Seongho Electronics (+3.2%), LigachemBio (+3.0%), and EO Technics (+2.1%) posted gains.

Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,480.1 won, up 13.6 won from the previous trading day.

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