KOSPI Hits 2720 Level on Institutional Buying Breeze... Samsung Electronics Rises Just Before Market Close

The domestic stock market settled at the 2720 level, supported by institutional buying. Samsung Electronics, which had struggled due to the issue of failing the quality test for Nvidia-bound HBM3E last week, surged significantly as bargain hunting emerged just before the market closed.

The KOSPI index closed at 2722.99 on the 27th, up 1.32% from the previous trading day. The KOSPI started the day slightly higher, remained flat around the 2700 level, and then rebounded sharply just before the market closed.

By trading participants, institutions drove the index up with net purchases of 325.8 billion KRW, while foreigners and individuals net sold 136.1 billion KRW and 175.5 billion KRW, respectively.

By sector, machinery (6.03%) led gains, followed by construction (2.35%) and transportation and warehousing (1.53%). On the other hand, non-metallic minerals (0.36%) and paper & wood (-0.18%) declined.

Among the top market cap stocks, Samsung Electronics reversed to a gain, closing at 77,200 KRW, up 1.71% from the previous day. Although it had fallen nearly 2% in the morning, buying surged just before the close, enabling a turnaround. SK Hynix soared more than 4% right after the opening but ended trading at 201,500 KRW, up 1.46%, as profit-taking selling emerged during the session. Other stocks such as LG Energy Solution (2.39%), Kia (2.08%), and POSCO Holdings (1.83%) also closed higher. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor (-0.75%) and KB Financial Group (-0.78%) declined.

KB Securities researchers Ji-won Kim and Jeong-eun Lim stated in a post-market report, "Media reports suggesting the possibility of Samsung Electronics supplying HBM to Nvidia appear to have acted as a catalyst for this trend, although the exact details have not been confirmed yet. Additionally, AI momentum boosted power equipment and semiconductor stocks, and the news of Doosan Enerbility securing a 2 trillion KRW order for a small modular reactor (SMR) also acted as a positive factor."

Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ index closed at 847.99, up 1.02% from the previous day. The KOSDAQ started slightly higher with a 0.52% gain and surged sharply just before the close. By trading participants, institutions net bought 39.4 billion KRW, while foreigners and individuals net sold 1.4 billion KRW and 24.2 billion KRW, respectively.