KOSPI Opens Slightly Higher on Foreign and Institutional Buying... Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Lead Gains

Despite the weak close in the U.S. stock market overnight, the domestic stock market opened slightly higher.

As of 9:20 a.m. on August 12, the KOSPI was trading at 3,232.61, up 0.81% from the previous trading day. On this day, the KOSPI opened at 3,209.75, up 2.98 points (0.09%) from the previous session.

While foreign investors and institutions recorded net purchases of 79.1 billion won and 10.1 billion won respectively, individual investors posted a net sale of 91 billion won.

On the 12th, the KOSPI and exchange rates were displayed on the screen in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI index opened at 3209.75, up 2.98 points (0.09%) from the previous session. Photo by Yonhap News

In the early session, most of the top-cap stocks were advancing, though the range of movement was limited.

Samsung Electronics (up 0.56%), SK Hynix (up 0.75%), Samsung Electronics Preferred (up 0.52%), Hanwha Aerospace (up 0.34%), Doosan Enerbility (up 1.01%), Hyundai Motor (up 0.47%), KB Financial Group (up 1.24%), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (up 0.54%) were on the rise. On the other hand, LG Energy Solution (down 0.64%) and Samsung Biologics (down 0.48%) were declining.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ was trading at 817.58, up 0.71%. The KOSDAQ started the day at 813.12, up 1.27 points (0.16%).

Individual and institutional investors bought a net 7.2 billion won and 3.7 billion won respectively, while foreign investors sold a net 12.4 billion won.

Among the top 10 KOSDAQ stocks by market capitalization, Alteogen (up 0.35%), Peptron (up 0.50%), HLB (up 2.70%), Legochem Bio (up 0.03%), Rainbow Robotics (up 0.18%), ABL Bio (up 2.32%), and Samchundang Pharm (up 0.22%) were rising. In contrast, Ecopro BM (down 0.52%), Ecopro (down 0.92%), and PharmaResearch (down 1.32%) were falling.

Meanwhile, as of 9:00 a.m. on the same day, the won-dollar exchange rate in the Seoul foreign exchange market was trading at 1,391.30 won, down 1.20 won (0.09%) from the previous session.

Previously, on August 11 (local time), the three major indices of the New York Stock Exchange closed lower. This was due to heightened caution as the release of the July Consumer Price Index (CPI) approached, with only one day remaining.