[Good Morning Stock Market] "Focus on Impact of Apple's U.S. Investment and Trump's Semiconductor Tariffs"

"Market Expected to Show Differentiated Trends Centered on the Apple Value Chain"

All three major indices of the New York Stock Exchange closed higher, and on August 7, the Korean stock market is expected to be influenced by both upward and downward factors originating from the United States. These include the sharp rise in the Nasdaq following news of Apple's large-scale investment in the U.S., as well as President Donald Trump's announcement of a 100% tariff on semiconductors.

On the 6th (local time), traders are working at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the United States. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On the 6th (local time) at the New York Stock Exchange, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 44,193.12, up 81.38 points (0.18%) from the previous session. The large-cap S&P 500 index rose 45.87 points (0.73%) to finish at 6,345.06, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq index jumped 252.87 points (1.21%) to end at 21,169.42.

By stock, Apple surged 5.1% after announcing an additional $100 billion (approximately 139 trillion won) investment in the United States. Tesla rose 3.62%, and Nvidia gained 0.65%. McDonald's gained 3.03% after reporting a surprise result for the second quarter. Walt Disney fell 2.66% as revenue missed expectations, although net profit exceeded forecasts. Snap and AMD plunged 17.15% and 6.42%, respectively, after reporting results that fell short of expectations.

While corporate earnings showed mixed results, they were generally solid. According to market research firm FactSet, 81% of S&P 500 companies that have reported so far have beaten market expectations.

Investors are focusing on the impact of tariffs. President Trump announced that he would impose a 100% tariff on imported semiconductor chips. He stated that there would be no tariffs if companies promise to produce semiconductors in the United States or are already in the process of doing so, but did not specify when the tariffs would be implemented. He also signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on India for importing Russian oil, raising the total tariff on India to 50%.

Regarding the outlook for the Korean stock market on this day, Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said, "The sharp rise in the U.S. Nasdaq following news of Apple's large-scale investment, and the 100% semiconductor tariff announced by Trump, are both U.S.-origin factors that will influence the market. As a result, a differentiated market trend is expected, centered on stocks within the Apple value chain."

Han also stated, "Although the KOSPI has not yet fully recovered from the sharp decline in stock prices triggered by the tax reform proposal on the 1st, it is important to note that the Trump tariffs, U.S. Federal Reserve policy, and uncertainty regarding the tax reform proposal are all within the scope of known negative factors." He added, "The earnings momentum of leading domestic sectors such as shipbuilding and machinery, as well as the overall trend of governance improvement through major measures like the Commercial Act amendment, have made the downside rigidity of the domestic stock market stronger than before."