KOSPI and KOSDAQ Close Higher: "Positive Sentiment Expected to Continue for Now"

KOSPI Rises 1.23% on Strength in Major Semiconductor Stocks

On May 14, both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets closed higher.

On the 13th, despite the news of a sharp rise in the US New York stock market following the US-China mutual tariff agreement, the KOSPI started slightly lower. The status board in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, displays the KOSPI and the won/dollar exchange rate. On this day, the KOSPI opened at 2,609.16, up 1.83 points from the previous session, while the won/dollar exchange rate started at 1,415.0 won, up 12.6 won. 2025.5.13 Photo by Cho Yongjun

On this day, the KOSPI finished trading at 2,640.57, up 1.23% from the previous session. The index started at 2,625.36, a 0.65% increase from the previous close, and continued to strengthen throughout the session, ending with significant gains. Foreign investors and institutions bought 470.5 billion won and 534.5 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while individual investors sold a total of 1.002 trillion won on their own.

Most sectors showed upward momentum. Medical and precision instruments (3.00%), machinery and equipment (2.65%), finance (1.72%), electrical and electronics (1.47%), manufacturing (1.25%), food, beverage and tobacco (1.17%), and chemicals (1.15%) all performed strongly. In contrast, real estate (-0.31%) and securities (-0.09%) declined. In particular, the semiconductor sector was strong following announcements by Nvidia and AMD regarding large-scale supply of artificial intelligence (AI) chips and plans to build data centers for the Saudi company Humane.

Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, all rose except for Kia (-1.39%). Samsung Electronics (0.88%), SK Hynix (3.78%), LG Energy Solution (0.48%), Samsung Biologics (0.50%), Hyundai Motor (0.20%), Hanwha Aerospace (1.99%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (1.59%), and KB Financial Group (0.86%) all posted gains.

On the same day, the KOSDAQ closed at 739.05, up 0.98% from the previous session. The index opened at 732.20, a 0.04% increase from the previous close, initially declined, but soon reversed to an upward trend. Foreign investors and institutions recorded net purchases of 47.3 billion won and 60.9 billion won, respectively, while individual investors sold 85.9 billion won.

By sector, all except telecommunications (-0.73%) rose. Machinery and equipment (3.85%), construction (2.29%), manufacturing (1.46%), chemicals (1.29%), metals (1.26%), electrical and electronics (0.87%), medical and precision instruments (0.70%), and pharmaceuticals (0.60%) led the gains.

Among the top market cap stocks, performances were mixed. Alteogen (-3.74%), Ecopro (-0.11%), Peptron (-4.73%), Classys (-0.46%), and LigachemBio (-1.40%) declined, while EcoproBM (0.61%), Rainbow Robotics (10.91%), Pharmaresearch (6.41%), and Hugel (0.58%) posted gains.

Kim Ji-won, a researcher at KB Securities, analyzed, "The market closed with expanded gains, reflecting a recovery in semiconductor-centered investor sentiment and the results of US inflation data." Kim added, "The positive atmosphere is expected to continue for the time being due to the US-China tariff reduction agreement and foreign investor buying, and it is important to pay attention to sector-specific issues related to the campaign pledges of each presidential candidate."