KOSPI and KOSDAQ Close Up Over 2%... Gains Narrowed from Early Session

Gains Narrow for Both Indices Compared to Early Session
KOSPI Up 2.74%... KOSDAQ Up 2.24%
"Uncertainties Remain Amid Contradictory U.S.-Iran Claims"

The domestic stock market closed higher, driven by expectations for negotiations over the Middle East war. However, as geopolitical uncertainties were not fully resolved, gains narrowed compared to the early session.

Yonhap News Agency

On March 24, the KOSPI finished trading at 5,553.92, up 148.17 points (2.74%) from the previous day. The market had opened at 5,638.20, up 232.45 points (4.30%), but gains were pared back from that level.

By investor type, individuals and institutions recorded net purchases of 299.461 billion won and 1.313053 trillion won, respectively. Foreign investors posted a net sale of 1.913564 trillion won.

By sector, most finished in positive territory. Insurance (+3.33%), food, beverage & tobacco (+3.21%), pharmaceuticals (+2.82%), and electrical & electronics (+2.39%) showed strong performance. In contrast, construction (-5.82%) saw a steep decline, while securities (-1.25%) and non-metallic minerals (-1.24%) were also weak.

Among large-cap stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics (+0.9%) and SK hynix (+4.2%) ended the session higher. LG Energy Solution (+8.2%), LG Chem (+6.9%), Celltrion (+6.2%), and SK Square (+5.7%) also posted strong gains. On the other hand, Kia (-3.0%) and Mirae Asset Securities (-1.9%) showed weakness.

The KOSDAQ index also opened at 1,134.16, up 37.27 points (3.40%), but closed with a smaller gain. The KOSDAQ ended at 1,121.45, up 24.56 points (2.24%) from the previous day.

By investor type, foreign investors and institutions recorded net purchases of 194.98 billion won and 31.862 billion won, respectively, while individuals posted a net sale of 197.071 billion won.

By sector, transportation equipment & parts (+3.94%), paper & wood (+3.77%), finance (+3.44%), general services (+2.60%), publishing & mass media reproduction (+2.55%), and electrical & electronics (+1.82%) performed strongly. Meanwhile, construction (-1.45%), metals (-0.71%), and non-metallic minerals (-0.55%) showed slight declines in some sectors.

Among large-cap KOSDAQ stocks, results were mixed. Wonik IPS (+15.1%), Alteogen (+7.2%), Robotis (+7.1%), ECO Pro BM (+6.3%), Olix (+5.6%), and ECO Pro (+5.3%) advanced sharply. In contrast, Peptron (-5.9%), BHI (-5.7%), Olix (-2.4%), and Samchundang Pharm (-1.0%) ended lower.

Kyungmin Lee, a researcher at Daishin Securities, commented on the narrowed gains in the domestic stock market, stating, "This is because Iran denied engaging in dialogue with the United States, claiming it was merely psychological warfare. In addition, some are concerned that this move may be a tactic to buy time for a possible U.S. ground troop deployment. Geopolitical conflicts also appear not to be fully resolved."

Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,495.2 won, down 22.1 won from the previous trading day.

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