KOSPI Gains Over 1% Intraday on Strong Institutional and Individual Buying

by Jang Hyowon

Published 12 May.2026 10:09(KST)

On the 12th, when the KOSPI index surpassed the 7,900 mark intraday for the first time in history, an employee is monitoring the stock market and exchange rates in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI opened at 7,953.41, up 1.68% from the previous trading day. 2026.5.12 Photo by Jo Yongjun

The KOSPI is showing a strong intraday gain of over 1%, buoyed by net buying from institutions and individual investors.

As of 9:59 a.m. on May 12, the KOSPI was trading at 7,901.32, up 1.01% from the previous day.

By investor type, institutions and individuals are net buyers, purchasing KRW 466.1 billion and KRW 1.546 trillion, respectively, while foreign investors are net sellers, offloading KRW 2.0513 trillion. In the futures market, institutions are net sellers with KRW 321.5 billion, while foreign investors and individuals are net buyers, purchasing KRW 157.9 billion and KRW 179 billion, respectively.

Performance by sector is mixed. The telecommunications sector is up 4.97%, insurance up 2.82%, transportation and storage up 2.26%, transport equipment up 2.04%, machinery and equipment up 1.82%, electrical and electronics up 1.46%, manufacturing up 1.32%, pharmaceuticals up 0.82%, distribution up 0.68%, and IT services up 0.17%. On the other hand, the real estate sector is down 2.45%, electric and gas down 2.13%, construction down 2.15%, entertainment and culture down 1.94%, securities down 1.69%, chemicals down 1.58%, and textiles and apparel down 1.48%.

Most of the top market cap stocks are trading higher. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are up 0.53% and 2.98%, respectively; SK Square up 0.93%, Hyundai Motor up 6.5%, LG Energy Solution up 0.11%, Doosan Enerbility up 3.2%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries up 4.09%, Samsung C&T up 0.77%, Samsung Electro-Mechanics up 4.56%, and Kia up 1.49%. In contrast, Hanwha Aerospace and KB Financial Group are among the weaker performers.

The KOSDAQ index is also moving within a strong range. KOSDAQ is trading at 1,214.97, up 0.6% from the previous day. By investor type, institutions and foreign investors are net buyers, purchasing KRW 163.4 billion and KRW 148.9 billion, respectively, while individuals are net sellers, offloading KRW 284.6 billion.

Among the top market cap KOSDAQ stocks, more are rising than falling. Ecopro is up 0.82%, Alteogen up 5.08%, Rainbow Robotics up 3.24%, Kolon TissueGene up 8.5%, Samchundang Pharm up 4.88%, and HLB up 3.36%. On the other hand, Ecopro BM is down 1.8%, with Leeno Industrial down 1.38% and Jusung Engineering down 0.73%.