KOSPI Ends Slightly Lower on Institutional and Foreign Selling

On the 24th, as Korea Economic Daily reported negative growth for the first time in the third quarter, the KOSPI index is turning negative. The KOSPI index is displayed on the status board at the Hana Bank dealing room in Jung-gu, Seoul. 2025.04.24 Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

The KOSPI index ended the session slightly lower, weighed down by net selling from institutional and foreign investors.

On the 24th, the KOSPI index closed at 2,522.33, down 3.23 points (0.13%) from the previous day. Trading volume was provisionally tallied at 323.72 million shares, with a trading value of 7.2185 trillion won.

By investor type, institutions and foreign investors recorded net sales of 198.4 billion won and 7.4 billion won, respectively, while individual investors posted a net purchase of 134.8 billion won. In the futures market, institutions and individuals recorded net purchases of 209.1 billion won and 12.1 billion won, respectively, while foreign investors posted a net sale of 220.4 billion won. In program trading, there was a net sale of 5.7 billion won in arbitrage trading and 100.3 billion won in non-arbitrage trading.

By sector, performance was mixed. The construction sector rose by 2.07%, machinery and equipment by 1.34%, transportation equipment by 0.85%, chemicals by 0.79%, IT services by 0.47%, finance by 0.32%, real estate by 0.2%, food, beverage, and tobacco by 0.19%, medical precision by 0.13%, insurance by 0.07%, and securities by 0.05%. On the other hand, the pharmaceuticals sector fell by 1.21%, general services by 0.91%, transportation and storage by 0.86%, electrical and electronics by 0.78%, entertainment and culture by 0.67%, telecommunications by 0.64%, and electricity and gas by 0.61%.

Among large-cap stocks by market capitalization, more stocks declined than advanced. SK Hynix dropped by 1.49%, LG Energy Solution by 2.15%, Samsung Biologics by 1.88%, Hyundai Motor by 0.58%, Celltrion by 0.81%, Kia by 1.33%, and KB Financial Group by 0.47%. Conversely, Hanwha Aerospace rose by 1.23%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries by 2.45%, Hanwha Ocean by 1.25%, and Hyundai Mobis by 0.2%, all closing higher.

On the day, 404 stocks advanced, 458 declined, and 72 remained unchanged.

The KOSDAQ index ended the session flat. On the same day, the KOSDAQ index closed at 726.08, unchanged from the previous day. By investor type, institutions recorded a net sale of 31.5 billion won, while foreign investors and individuals posted net purchases of 5 billion won and 29.8 billion won, respectively.

Among large-cap stocks by market capitalization, performance was mixed. Alteogen fell by 0.13%, EcoPro BM by 0.4%, HLB by 1.25%, Legochem Bio by 0.26%, Peptron by 2.02%, ABL Bio by 1.3%, and Samchundang Pharm by 0.56%. On the other hand, EcoPro rose by 1.01%, Hugel by 2.7%, Classys by 2.56%, PharmaResearch by 4.89%, and Kolon TissueGene by 0.96%, all closing higher.

Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won/dollar exchange rate is trading at 1,434.4 won, up 7.2 won from the previous day.