KOSPI Turns Upward... Net Buying by Foreigners and Institutions

On the 19th, dealers were working in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Euljiro, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI index opened at 2,840.34, down 23.90 points (0.83%) from the previous session. The won-dollar exchange rate started at 1,195.0 won, up 4.9 won. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Junho] On the morning of the 19th, the KOSPI turned to an upward trend. Foreign investors and institutions increased their trading volume, overcoming supply and demand concerns caused by the accelerated pace of U.S. tightening and the LG Energy Solution president issue.

As of 10:37 a.m., the KOSPI was at 2,870.98, up 0.24% from the previous session. Foreign investors and institutions led the index's rise with net purchases worth 32.9 billion KRW and 203.8 billion KRW, respectively. Meanwhile, individual investors realized profits by selling stocks worth 239.9 billion KRW.

Among all stocks, 461 showed gains. The number of rising stocks increased to over 100 in the early session. The decline of Samsung Electronics, the perennial market leader, continued. Samsung Electronics was down 0.39% from the previous session, trading at 76,700 KRW. In contrast, SK Hynix, in the same semiconductor sector, rose 0.79% to 127,500 KRW. Samsung Biologics also recorded a 2.36% increase, trading at 825,000 KRW.

The KOSDAQ index was down 0.21% from the previous session, at 941.99. Although individual and institutional investors made net purchases worth 10.6 billion KRW and 6.5 billion KRW respectively, foreign investors sold stocks worth 13.1 billion KRW, putting pressure on the index. Among all stocks, 593 showed gains. EcoPro BM, which rose to the top in market capitalization, was down 0.75% at 435,000 KRW, while Celltrion Healthcare traded up 2.32% at 66,100 KRW.