The KOSPI closed lower as individual investors turned net sellers.
On July 18, the KOSPI ended trading at 3,188.07, down 4.22 points (0.13%) from the previous day. The trading volume was provisionally tallied at 389.97 million shares, with a trading value of 11.8448 trillion won.
The KOSPI index opened higher and fluctuated around the 3,200 mark during the session, but turned downward as foreign investors became net sellers. In the late session, foreigners recorded net buying in both the spot and futures markets, but the strong selling by individuals ultimately led the market to close lower.
By investor type, institutions and foreigners were net buyers of 61.9 billion won and 189.7 billion won, respectively, while individuals were net sellers of 340.7 billion won. In the futures market, institutions were net sellers of 256 billion won, while foreigners and individuals were net buyers of 251.1 billion won and 26.6 billion won, respectively. Program trading saw net selling of 9.3 billion won in arbitrage trades and 57.4 billion won in non-arbitrage trades.
By sector, more industries declined than rose. The insurance sector fell by 2.69%, retail by 2.35%, securities by 1.69%, food, beverage and tobacco by 1.43%, textiles and apparel by 1.24%, pharmaceuticals by 1.14%, finance by 1.02%, electricity and gas by 0.95%, entertainment and culture by 0.89%, transportation and storage by 0.75%, telecommunications by 0.71%, and medical precision by 0.66%. On the other hand, machinery and equipment rose by 1.11%, electrical and electronics by 0.91%, and non-metallic minerals by 0.47%, all closing higher.
Among the top market cap stocks, performances were mixed. Samsung Electronics rose by 0.6%, LG Energy Solution by 1.74%, Hyundai Motor by 0.24%, Doosan Enerbility by 2.37%, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries by 1.25%. In contrast, SK Hynix fell by 0.19%, Samsung Biologics by 1.78%, KB Financial Group by 1.22%, Celltrion by 0.06%, Kia by 0.4%, and NAVER by 0.62%.
The number of advancing stocks was 643, while 591 stocks declined and 38 remained unchanged. Four stocks hit the upper price limit.
The KOSDAQ index closed higher, supported by net buying from institutions and foreigners. The KOSDAQ finished at 820.67, up 2.4 points (0.29%) from the previous day. By investor type, institutions and foreigners were net buyers of 32.2 billion won and 42.4 billion won, respectively, while individuals were net sellers of 73.7 billion won.
Among the top market cap stocks, performances were mixed. Alteogen rose by 0.31%, EcoPro BM by 9.04%, Peptron by 3.88%, EcoPro by 3.97%, Ligachem Bio by 6.2%, Rainbow Robotics by 0.37%, and Hugel by 1.27%. In contrast, HLB fell by 2.04%, PharmaResearch by 1.9%, Samchundang Pharm by 0.06%, and Classys by 1.68%.
Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won/dollar exchange rate is trading at 1,392.5 won, up 0.3 won from the previous day.
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