The KOSPI index closed lower on the 6th, falling into the 6,900 range. Heightened wait-and-see sentiment ahead of the earnings season and rising interest rates offset the positive overseas news transmitted during the holiday period. Experts predicted that a cautious trading pattern would continue until Samsung Electronics' earnings call.
On this day, the KOSPI index closed at 6,941.39, down 62.35 points (0.89%) from the previous trading session. The intraday range was 147.29 points. Across Korea Exchange and NextTrade, other corporations made net purchases of 987.5 billion won, retail investors bought a net 725.6 billion won, and institutional investors purchased a net 59.4 billion won, while foreign investors sold a net 1.7689 trillion won.
Declines in the two major semiconductor stocks exerted downward pressure on the index. Samsung Electronics closed regular trading at 272,000 won, down 4,000 won (1.45%), and SK Hynix ended at 1,773,000 won, down 68,000 won (3.69%). Stake-linked stocks Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung C&T also closed with weakness in the 1st% range.
Among top market capitalization stocks, Samsung Electric and LG Energy Solution recorded strength in the 5th% range, mitigating downward pressure on the index. Buying was driven by heightened expectations for a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) supply contract and recovery in electric vehicle sales. Hyundai Motor and SK Square were slightly up.
In regular trading, 413 stocks rose while 473 fell. By sector, KOSPI Medical & Precision closed with strength in the 6th% range, and Chemicals in the 1st% range. Conversely, Transportation Equipment, Electrical & Electronics, Pharmaceuticals, and Manufacturing showed weakness in the 1st% range.
This contrasts with the New York stock market on the 5th (local time), where the three major indices (Dow Jones 30, S&P 500, NASDAQ) all rose as the increase in US September non-farm payrolls fell below market expectations, weakening monetary tightening theories. From a supply and demand perspective, there is also analysis that selling pressure increased as Samsung Electronics completed its on-market share buyback.
Lee Kyung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities, stated, "Despite positive news during the holiday period, macroeconomic caution persists, with the market waiting for the next event," adding, "Foreign capital outflows continued while the scale of net purchases by other corporations decreased."
Lim Jeong-eun and Tae Yoon-sun, researchers at KB Securities, said, "The burden of high interest rates continues due to factors such as rising long-term interest rates driven by instability in the European bond market amid French fiscal uncertainty," adding, "Samsung Electronics' Q3 preliminary earnings release on the 8th is expected to be a key variable gauging momentum in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, as well as the future direction of the index."
The KOSDAQ market reclaimed the 900th mark for the first time in three months, driven by stock-specific positive news and rotation trading. The closing index was 919.92, up 26.63 points (2.98%) from the previous day. Foreign investors made net purchases of 123.2 billion won, institutional investors bought a net 105.6 billion won, while retail investors sold a net 212 billion won.
Top market capitalization stocks in the semiconductor materials, components and equipment, pharmaceuticals, and secondary battery sectors attracted buying, with Jusung Engineering and HLB surging in the 17th% range, Ecopro BM in the 11th% range, and Ecopro in the 7th% range. Simmtech closed up in the 4th% range, RAINBOW Robotics and Lino Industry in the 3rd% range, and Wonik IPS in the 1st% range.
Positive factors cited include HLB's US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its cholangiocarcinoma treatment, expectations of expanded semiconductor demand due to increased AI investment, and Tesla's Q3 vehicle delivery results exceeding expectations. By sector, KOSDAQ Pharmaceuticals and Financials showed strength in the 4th% range, Machinery & Equipment, Electrical & Electronics, and Manufacturing in the 3rd% range, Medical & Precision, IT Services, and General Services in the 2nd% range, and Chemicals, Paper & Wood, Construction, and Metals in the 1st% range.
On this day, the won/dollar exchange rate closed regular trading at the Seoul Foreign Exchange Market at 1,343.6 won, down 0.4 won from the previous day.
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