Samsung Electronics Hits 52-Week High for 2 Consecutive Days... KOSPI Closes Slightly Lower Near 2740

Foreigners Bet on 'Saja' Institutions and Individuals on 'Palja'
Samsung Electronics Hits 52-Week High for 2 Consecutive Trading Days
Semiconductors and 1Q Earnings Expectations Boost Sector Strength

The KOSPI index closed slightly lower around the 2740 level.

On the 29th, the KOSPI index closed at 2746.63, up 0.81 points (0.03%) from the previous trading day. The KOSPI index started at 2757.25, up 11.45 points from the previous close, then slightly declined in the early session and traded between 2740 and 2750 throughout the day.

By investor type, individuals sold 478.2 billion KRW, and institutions sold 280.8 billion KRW. Foreigners were the sole buyers, purchasing 770.4 billion KRW. Foreigners have been net buyers for four consecutive trading days, with net purchases totaling 1.7576 trillion KRW during this period.

By sector, Medical Precision (2.27%), Electrical & Electronics (1.21%), and Pharmaceuticals (0.72%) showed gains exceeding 0.5%. Conversely, Insurance (-1.76%), Construction (-1.58%), Transportation & Warehousing (-1.36%), Finance (-1.27%), Transportation Equipment (-1.18%), Securities (-1.14%), and Telecommunications (-1.03%) all declined by more than 1%.

The top 10 market capitalization stocks showed mixed performance. Samsung Electronics (1.98%) hit a new 52-week high for the second consecutive day, closing at 82,400 KRW. SK Hynix (2.69%) and Celltrion (4.03%) also ended higher. On the other hand, LG Energy Solution (-1.62%), Hyundai Motor (-1.69%), Kia (-1.61%), and Samsung SDI (-1.36%) all fell more than 1%. Hanmi Science, which concluded its management dispute, plunged 13.64%.

Lee Jaewon, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., said, "In semiconductors, there was strength due to expectations of rising 3D NAND prices in Q2 this year. Ahead of the Q1 2024 earnings season, sectors expected to improve earnings such as beauty devices, media, and space industry also showed strength."

The KOSDAQ index closed down 4.55 points (0.5%) at 905.50.

By investor type, individuals and institutions bought 44.2 billion KRW and 34.8 billion KRW respectively, while foreigners sold 73.0 billion KRW.

600 stocks closed higher, 953 stocks closed lower, and 92 stocks were unchanged. Most of the top market capitalization stocks declined. Ecopro (-3.80%), HLB (-4.10%), Alteogen (-4.87%), and Enchem (-4.02%) all fell more than 3%. IOTECHNICS (8.65%) and Soulbrain (6.84%) showed strong gains.

The KRW-USD exchange rate closed at 1,347.2 KRW, up 1.0 KRW from the previous day.