'Institutions Sell, Individuals Buy'... KOSPI Slightly Lower

Amid institutional selling and individual buying, the KOSPI index started lower on the 2nd and is trading slightly down.

As of 9:44 a.m., the KOSPI index was trading at 2,688.31, down 3.75 points (0.14%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 2,679.04, down 13.02 points (0.48%), with institutions selling about 101.1 billion KRW. Individuals and foreigners bought 108.4 billion KRW and 1.2 billion KRW worth of shares, respectively.

On the 2nd, the domestic stock market started slightly lower for both KOSPI and KOSDAQ. Various index statuses such as stock prices and exchange rates are displayed on the electronic board in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Euljiro, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

Among the top market cap stocks, Samsung SDI (3.34%), NAVER (1.03%), Samsung Electronics (0.77%), Kia (0.76%), and LG Energy Solution (0.13%) are rising. On the other hand, KB Financial Group (-3.04%), Shinhan Financial Group (-3.00%), Hana Financial Group (-2.56%), Samsung Life Insurance (-2.06%), POSCO Future M (-1.41%), SK Hynix (-1.38%), and Hyundai Mobis (-1.09%) are declining.

By sector, textiles and apparel (1.85%), food and beverages (0.58%), paper and wood (0.54%), transportation equipment (0.31%), transportation and warehousing (0.31%), and electrical and electronics (0.20%) are rising. Meanwhile, insurance (-1.83%), finance (-1.25%), securities (-0.97%), chemicals (-0.68%), and distribution (-0.66%) sectors are falling.

On the 1st (local time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average, focused on blue-chip stocks, closed at 37,903.29, up 87.37 points (0.23%) from the previous day. The large-cap S&P 500 index fell 17.3 points (0.34%) to 5,018.39, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq index dropped 52.34 points (0.33%) to 15,605.48. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stated that the possibility of a rate hike is low, leading to a mixed close in the U.S. stock market.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index recorded 867.53, down 1.40 points (0.16%) from the previous session. The index opened at 865.78, down 3.15 points (0.36%). Institutions and foreigners sold 26.5 billion KRW and 48.9 billion KRW net, respectively, while individuals bought 87.6 billion KRW worth of shares.

Among the top market cap stocks, Samchundang Pharmaceutical (3.06%), JYP Ent. (2.25%), Soulbrain (2.15%), SM (1.77%), Lino Industrial (1.20%), Alteogen (0.23%), and Classys (0.13%) are rising. Conversely, Sinsung Delta Tech (-3.77%), Enchem (-3.32%), EcoPro BM (-1.47%), Hugel (-1.42%), EcoPro (-1.22%), HPSP (-1.14%), and Pearl Abyss (-0.62%) are declining.