U.S. semiconductor stocks waver… KOSPI falls for second consecutive day to below 6,400

The KOSPI has fallen for two consecutive days, appearing to be affected by a decline in U.S. semiconductor stocks overnight.

As of 9:13 a.m. on the 25th, the KOSPI was trading at 6,470.31, down 226.65 points (3.38%) from the previous session. The KOSPI, which fell 3.12% the day before, began today's session on a downward trend as well.

Overnight U.S. markets closed in mixed territory due to declines in semiconductor stocks. On the 24th (local time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended trading at 53,417.16, up 140.15 points (0.26%) from the previous session. Meanwhile, technology stocks weakened, particularly in the AI (artificial intelligence) semiconductor sector, dragging down the S&P 500 and NASDAQ. The S&P 500 index closed at 7,652.86, down 21.51 points (0.28%), while the technology-heavy NASDAQ Composite closed at 25,980.19, down 200.26 points (0.76%).

NVIDIA fell 2.91%, marking its seventh consecutive day of decline—the longest streak since September 2022. Micron Technology slipped 5.83%, and Broadcom dropped 2.63%.

In the KOSPI market (based on the integration of Korea Exchange and Next Trade), foreign investors and institutional investors sold net amounts of 882.1 billion won and 32.7 billion won, respectively. Retail investors bought net 861.2 billion won.

All KOSPI sectors except for electricity and gas, as well as paper and wood, are in a weak-to-flat trend. The electrical and electronics sector is down more than 4%, while manufacturing, IT (information technology), healthcare, and precision equipment sectors are down around 3%.

Among the top market capitalization stocks on the KOSPI, SK Hynix is down over 5% and Samsung Electronics is down over 4%. SK Square and Samsung Electro-Mechanics are also falling more than 5%. Samsung C&T and Samsung Life Insurance are showing declines of around 1% and 2%, respectively. In contrast, Shinhan Financial Group is rising by more than 1%. KB Financial Group and Doosan Enerbility remain in a weak-to-flat trend.

The KOSDAQ is trading at 787.69, down 25.64 points (3.15%) from the previous session.

In the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors and institutional investors sold net amounts of 91.8 billion won and 41.1 billion won, respectively. Retail investors bought net 138.4 billion won.

Among KOSDAQ sectors, only textiles and apparel are in a weak-to-flat trend; all others are declining. The financial and general services sectors are down around 4%, while electrical and electronics, pharmaceuticals, and technology growth companies are down around 3%.

All of the top 20 stocks by market capitalization on the KOSDAQ are currently falling. EcoPro and EcoPro BM are in a downturn of more than 6%. AlteoGen, Juseong Engineering, Wonik IPS, and Rino Industrial are seeing stock prices drop by more than 4%.

The current won-to-dollar exchange rate is recording 1,380.10 won, down 3.1 won from the previous trading day.