The KOSPI opened higher on the 13th, recovering above the 6,800 line. This is attributed to the positive close of U.S. markets overnight amid favorable inflation data.
At 9:12 a.m. today, the KOSPI was calculated at 6,873.95, up 294.91 points (4.48%) from the previous trading day. Foreign investors purchased net worth of 489.7 billion won across the Korea Exchange and Next Trading, while institutional investors bought 176.2 billion won in net purchases. Retail investors sold off 677.6 billion won in net sales.
Among top market capitalization stocks, semiconductor-related companies showed strong gains. Samsung Electro-Mechanics and SK Square rose by over 10%, SK Hynix by over 7%, while Samsung Electronics, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung C&T recorded increases of around 5%.
Hyundai Motor gained over 4%, Hanwha Aerospace over 3%, and LG Energy Solution over 1%. Samsung Biologics remained relatively flat.
By sector, KOSPI's electrical and electronics industry rose by over 5%, securities, manufacturing, finance, and insurance by over 4%, transportation equipment by 3%, retail, telecommunications, construction, and machinery by 2%, and IT services and chemicals by 1%.
Transportation warehousing, general services, metals, food and tobacco, non-ferrous metals, real estate, and textiles and clothing showed relatively flat gains. In contrast, electric gas fell over 2%, entertainment and culture, medical precision, and paper and wood products showed slight declines. The pharmaceutical sector remained stable with minor fluctuations.
On the 12th (local time), U.S. markets showed mixed results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.04%, while the S&P 500 Index rose by 0.26% and the NASDAQ Composite Index gained 0.54%.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose by 2.49%. Among technology stocks, SanDisk increased by 5.76%, Micron by 4.92%, and NVIDIA by 3.03%.
The U.S. July Consumer Price Index (CPI), which rose 3.4% year-on-year, matched consensus estimates. KOSPI 200 night futures rose by 3.29%.
Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, explained, "Given that uncertainties remain in the Strait of Hormuz, it is difficult to say that inflation risks have been completely eliminated. However, the July CPI data further reduced the risk of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates next month, making it a positive factor for the stock market beyond neutrality."
She added, "As seen in earnings reports from AI infrastructure companies like CoreWeave and Super Micro, the demand for AI is expanding beyond graphics processing units (GPUs) to the entire core value chain. This suggests that the combination of 'peak inflation anxiety' and 'peak AI demand uncertainty' will likely provide continued momentum for leading stocks such as semiconductors."
The researcher also noted, "Considering this market trend as a rotation within a stabilized volatility environment, it is now time to include sectors such as automobiles, healthcare, securities, and retail distribution—where stock price gains have been limited since foreign investors concentrated their net purchases—in a barbell strategy from an investment idea perspective."
At this moment, the KOSDAQ Index stood at 858.24, down 0.67 points (0.08%) from the previous trading day. Retail investors purchased net worth of 191.1 billion won, while foreign investors sold off 138.1 billion won and institutional investors sold 49 billion won in net sales.
Among top market capitalization stocks, Wonik IPS rose by over 4%, iOTechnics by over 2%, and Juseong Engineering by over 1%. RAINBOW Robotics and EcoPro showed relatively flat gains.
In contrast, AVL Bio fell by over 2%, Altogen Labs by over 1%, while HLB and Reno Industry remained relatively flat. EcoPro and EcoPro BM stayed stable.
Among sectors, KOSDAQ construction rose by over 1%, while machinery, finance, transportation equipment, electrical and electronics, transportation warehousing, other manufacturing, and telecommunications showed relatively flat gains. Non-ferrous metals fell by over 2%, and medical precision, paper and wood products, and general services declined by over 1%.
Pharmaceuticals, textiles and clothing, publishing media, chemicals, IT services, and food and tobacco showed slight declines. Retail, metals, and manufacturing remained stable.
The won-dollar exchange rate stood at 1,415.0 won, down 3.5 won from the previous day based on Seoul's foreign exchange market.
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