KOSPI Closes at Record High Despite 2.8 Trillion Won Foreign Sell-Off... 8,000 Mark in Sight (Comprehensive)

Foreign Investors Continue Net Selling for Six Consecutive Sessions, Exceeding 31 Trillion Won
Index Supported by Robust Individual Net Buying

Despite a massive sell-off by foreign investors, individual investors absorbed the supply, allowing the KOSPI to close at an all-time high.

On May 14, the KOSPI ended regular trading at 7,981.41, up 1.75% from the previous day. This marked the highest closing level ever. The market opened strongly at 7,873.91, briefly turned downward at one point, but soon rebounded and continued its upward trend.

Foreign investors dumped more than trillions of won worth of shares for several consecutive days, but individual investors absorbed the entire supply, supporting the index. On this day, foreign investors recorded a net sell of 2.8183 trillion won. They have continued net selling for six consecutive trading days since May 7, offloading over 30 trillion won during this period.

Individual investors absorbed most of the shares sold by foreigners. On this day alone, individuals recorded a net buy of 2.7978 trillion won. Institutional investors posted a net sell of 205.3 billion won.

Almost all industry sectors rose. The insurance sector saw the largest increase, jumping 7.75%. This was followed by food, beverage & tobacco (6.76%), construction (6.20%), entertainment & culture (5.94%), medical & precision equipment (5.65%), IT services (4.59%), and retail (4.50%), with several sectors advancing more than 4%. In contrast, electric & gas (-1.94%) and transportation equipment & parts (-1.15%) declined.

Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, performances were mixed. Samsung Electronics rose 4.2%, LG Energy Solution gained 3.1%, Samsung C&T was up 2.3%, Hyundai Motor climbed 0.9%, and SK hynix edged up 0.1%. For SK hynix, the price exceeded 2 million won in NextTrade, but in the Korea Exchange's regular session, it only reached 1,994,000 won. Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plunged as much as 7.6%. Doosan Enerbility (-2.0%) and SK Square (-1.3%) also fell.

The KOSDAQ also closed up 1.20% from the previous day at 1,191.09. After a strong close, it briefly dropped as much as 1.25% to 1,162.20 compared to the previous day, but recovered all losses to end higher.

In the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors recorded a net sell of 134.9 billion won. Individuals and institutions posted net buys of 76.1 billion won and 74.7 billion won, respectively.

Most industry sectors also rose. Financials (4.18%) led the gains, followed by entertainment & culture (4.05%), publishing & media replication (3.61%), general services (2.45%), food, beverage & tobacco (2.12%), paper & wood (1.98%), and pharmaceuticals (1.98%). Meanwhile, transportation & storage (-0.43%) and textiles & apparel (-0.34%) declined.

Among the top 10 KOSDAQ stocks by market capitalization, only the top-tier stocks rose. Alteogen soared 8.4%, EcoPro BM gained 4.7%, EcoPro advanced 4.5%, ABL Bio climbed 0.9%, and Samchundang Pharm rose 0.2%. In contrast, Rainbow Robotics (-3.8%), HLB (-0.7%), Leeno Industrial (-0.7%), and Legochem Bio (-0.7%) fell.

Yonhap News Agency

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