Foreigners and Institutions 'Sell'... KOSPI and KOSDAQ Close Down Over 1%

Samsung Electronics Closes Lower Despite Strong Earnings

Samsung Electronics announced that its provisional consolidated operating profit for last year was 6.54 trillion KRW, and sales amounted to 258.16 trillion KRW. Operating profit decreased by 84.92% and sales decreased by 4.91% compared to the same period last year. The photo shows Samsung Electronics Seocho Building in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the 5th, the KOSPI and KOSDAQ each closed down by over 1%. Both foreign investors and institutions showed a 'selling' trend, pulling the indices down. Major sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, and automobiles also ended lower.

The KOSPI closed at 2,714.21, down 1.01% (27.79 points) from the previous day. On that day, the KOSPI opened at 2,713.96, down 1.02% (28.04 points) from the previous session.

In the early session, only institutions showed a 'selling' trend, but foreign investors soon joined in. Foreign investors and institutions net sold 114.3 billion KRW and 470.5 billion KRW, respectively. Individuals alone net bought 615.8 billion KRW. In the futures market, only foreign investors sold 573.7 billion KRW. Individuals and institutions bought 171 billion KRW and 432.5 billion KRW, respectively.

All of the top 10 stocks by market capitalization closed lower. Samsung Electronics, which announced a Q1 earnings surprise today, closed at 84,500 KRW, down 0.94% (800 KRW) from the previous day. On the 5th, Samsung Electronics disclosed that its consolidated operating profit for the first quarter of this year was preliminarily estimated at 6.6 trillion KRW, a 931.25% increase compared to the same period last year. This exceeds Samsung Electronics' full-year operating profit of 6.57 trillion KRW last year.

Other notable declines included Samsung SDI -4.86%, SK Hynix -2.77%, POSCO Holdings -1.74%, and Kia -1.59%.

The KOSDAQ closed at 872.29, down 1.20% (10.61 points) from the previous day. It opened at 872.47, down 1.18% (10.43 points) from the previous session, and continued its downward trend. Similarly, foreign investors and institutions net sold 109.4 billion KRW and 61 billion KRW, respectively, pulling the index down. Only individuals net bought 201.4 billion KRW.

Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, only Enchem (+2.68%) closed higher. Notable declines included HLB -5.80%, EO Technics -5.21%, Celltrion Pharm -3.47%, Alteogen -3.30%, and HPSP -3.01%.