On the 15th, the domestic stock market fluctuated in line with movements in U.S. 10-year Treasury yields. During trading hours, U.S. 10-year Treasury yields traded in Asian markets broke through the 5th% mark again, exerting downward pressure.
The KOSPI index closed at 6,627.26, down 57.11 points (0.85%) from the previous trading day. The intraday high-low range was 133.26 points. According to Korea Exchange and NextTrade cumulative data, other corporations bought net worth of 1.6504 trillion won, individuals purchased net worth of 1.1940 trillion won, while foreign investors sold net worth of 1.7055 trillion won and institutional investors sold net worth of 1.1432 trillion won.
Amid continuing discussions about slowing AI growth, Samsung Electronics closed down 500 won (0.20%) at 248,500 won, and SK Hynix closed down 7,000 won (0.41%) at 1.69 million won. Among the top 10 companies by market capitalization, LG Energy Solution was the only one to show strong gains, rising 14,000 won (3.98%). By sector, KOSPI transportation equipment and insurance sectors showed weakness of around 3%, while medical precision sectors posted gains of about 1%.
Lee Kyung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities, stated, "Although there were no new negative factors, further increases in interest rates and oil prices diluted the perception that 'negative factors had already been priced in,' leading to a weakening of bargain-hunting forces." According to Investing.com, during afternoon Asian market trading on this day, U.S. 10-year Treasury yields briefly surged above 5.03%, reaching their highest level since 2007.
Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, noted, "What matters is not just the breakthrough of the 5th% level, but whether further gains at current levels will lead to multiple derating for stock prices." She added, "It appears we need to monitor whether the U.S. Federal Reserve, after raising interest rates by 0.25 percentage points and confirming its resolve to combat inflation, will take a cautious stance on further hikes. There is a need to confirm market rate stability before adjusting positions."
Regarding the AI slowdown narrative and contraction in semiconductor stocks, Lee Jun-young, a researcher at Eugene Investment & Securities, said, "The focus lies on improving the learning capabilities of frontier models and the speed of recursive self-improvement. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, also explicitly stated that his remarks do not imply a complete halt to technological progress or learning itself, nor do they constrain inference demand for AI services." He further remarked, "The decline in stock prices due to weakened investor sentiment appears excessive relative to fundamentals."
The KOSDAQ index closed at 812.41, up 5.62 points (0.70%) from the previous trading day. Institutional investors bought net worth of 113.4 billion won, foreign investors purchased net worth of 69.2 billion won, while individuals sold net worth of 185.6 billion won.
Among top market-cap stocks, iOptronics rose by around 4%, EcoPro and Rainbow Robotics gained about 3%, and EcoPro BM advanced roughly 2%. In contrast, Jungsung Engineering fell by approximately 6%, while Wonik IPS and Rino Industrial closed down about 1%. Alteogen closed flat.
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