KOSPI Surges Past 7,300, but KOSDAQ Falters... Most Top Cap Stocks Decline

KOSPI Hits Record High of 7,318.80 in Intraday Trading
KOSDAQ Opens with Gains but Turns Lower

On May 6, the KOSPI started the session by surpassing the 7,000 mark for the first time in history. In early morning trading, it climbed above the 7,300 level, further widening its gains. The KOSDAQ opened slightly higher but then turned downward during the session.

As of approximately 9:20 a.m. on May 6, the KOSPI index was trading at 7,291.20, up 5.11% from the previous session, according to the Korea Exchange. Foreign investors have bought 519.9 billion won, while individual investors have purchased 423.7 billion won. Institutional investors have recorded a net sell-off of 782.7 billion won.

On May 6, 2026, the KOSPI index exceeded the 7,000 mark intraday for the first time ever. The national stock market index is displayed on the electronic board in the dealing room at the Woori Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Earlier in the day, the KOSPI opened at 7,093.01, breaking its all-time high. It then reached a new peak of 7,318.80 at around 9:27 a.m.

Due to the sharp rise, a buy-sidecar was triggered on the KOSPI at about 9:06 a.m. The buy-sidecar is a measure that suspends the effectiveness of buy orders for five minutes if KOSPI200 futures rise by more than 5% for at least one minute compared to the previous session.

By sector, securities (+9.34%), electrical and electronics (+8.30%), manufacturing (+5.68%), finance (+3.85%), insurance (+3.01%), retail (+2.95%), and electricity and gas (+1.13%) are on the rise. In contrast, real estate (-3.30%), entertainment and culture (-3.04%), paper and wood (-2.13%), textiles and apparel (-1.47%), and chemicals (-1.52%) are declining.

Most of the top market cap stocks are rising. Samsung Electronics surged 12.26%, reaching the "2.6 million won level," and SK hynix climbed 9.19%, at one point hitting the "1.6 million won level." Other gainers include SK Square (+10.90%), Hyundai Motor (+3.62%), LG Energy Solution (+0.53%), Doosan Enerbility (+0.47%), and Samsung Electro-Mechanics (+0.65%). On the other hand, Hanwha Aerospace (-3.21%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-4.12%), and Samsung Biologics (-0.81%) are falling.

The KOSDAQ is trading at 1,202.86, down 0.90% from the previous session. Although it began the session slightly higher, it has deepened its losses during intraday trading.

Individual investors are net buyers of 377 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors have sold 172 billion won and 176 billion won, respectively.

Top KOSDAQ market cap stocks are also falling. This includes Alteogen (-3.08%), Rainbow Robotics (-2.34%), Samchundang Pharm (-1.59%), Leeno Industrial (-1.49%), Kolon TissueGene (-0.57%), ABL Bio (-3.40%), and LegoChem Biosciences (-3.14%). Some stocks, such as Ecopro (+1.48%), Ecopro BM (+1.39%), and HLB (+1.97%), are gaining.

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