KOSPI, Foreigners vs Individuals... Sideways Trend During Trading Session

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The KOSPI index is moving within a narrow range as foreign investors' net selling and individual investors' net buying battle during the trading session.

As of 10:34 a.m. on the 11th, the KOSPI index is trading at 2,517.48, down 0.01% from the previous day. By investor type, institutions and foreign investors are net sellers of 5.5 billion KRW and 57.6 billion KRW respectively, while individuals are net buyers of 58.5 billion KRW.

Last Friday, the New York stock market closed higher on expectations that the U.S. economy could avoid a recession, supported by positive economic indicators. In particular, favorable results from the November employment report and the December University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey drove the market gains.

Accordingly, the KOSPI index started slightly higher but its gains have been limited as the won/dollar exchange rate rose by 11 won, prompting net selling by foreign investors.

Sector performance is mixed. Textile and apparel is up 2.02%, machinery 1.19%, telecommunications 0.5%, pharmaceuticals 0.44%, food and beverages 0.38%, services 0.29%, securities 0.2%, insurance 0.12%, and distribution 0.12%, showing strength. Conversely, electric and gas utilities are down 0.65%, construction -0.44%, transportation equipment -0.39%, and chemicals -0.36%, showing weakness.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, more are declining. Samsung Electronics is down 0.28%, Samsung Biologics -0.56%, Hyundai Motor -0.54%, NAVER -0.23%, Kia -0.23%, and LG Chem -0.84%. On the other hand, SK Hynix is up 0.63%, and POSCO Holdings is also up 0.11%.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index is showing strength. The KOSDAQ index is trading at 837.80, up 0.89% from the previous day. By investor type, institutions are net buyers of 44.9 billion KRW, while foreign investors and individuals are net sellers of 24.8 billion KRW and 5.2 billion KRW respectively.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, EcoPro BM and EcoPro are leading the market with gains of 3.51% and 0.75% respectively. Celltrion Healthcare is also up 3.38%, HLB 2.1%, and JYP Ent. 1.27% are showing strength. Conversely, POSCO DX is down 1.01%, L&F -0.64%, and HPSP -1.22% are weak.

Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won/dollar exchange rate is trading at 1,318.1 won, up 11.3 won from the previous day.