[Good Morning Market] Easing Tariff Uncertainty... Domestic Stocks Expected to Open Higher

On August 8, the domestic stock market is expected to open higher.

According to the securities industry, the domestic stock market is anticipated to start the session on an upward trend, supported by the strong performance of the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index in the United States. The previous day, President Donald Trump of the United States mentioned exemptions for tariffs on semiconductor items, which led to a rebound in technology stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. The improved investor sentiment is also expected to have an impact on the domestic market.

Han Jiyoung, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, explained, "During the session, the market is likely to reflect news related to the major shareholder transfer tax and other tax reform proposals, as well as individual earnings announcements from companies such as NAVER, Dalba Global, and Lotte Chemical, resulting in a stronger trend toward a stock-picking market."

She added, "Through its August review, MSCI decided on the inclusion or exclusion of certain stocks in the MSCI Korea Index, including Doosan, Hyosung Heavy Industries, LIG Nex1, CJ CheilJedang, LG Innotek, and SKC. As a result, we expect to see differentiated trends in foreign investor flows and stock prices among these shares."

On the 6th, dealers were working in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. On that day, the KOSPI opened at 3,182.06, down 15.94 points (0.50%) from the previous trading day, the KOSDAQ fell 0.27% to 796.48, and the won-dollar exchange rate started the session at 1,387.3 won, down 1.0 won. 2025.8.6 Photo by Cho Yongjun

Meanwhile, on the 7th (local time), the New York stock market showed a relatively calm reaction despite the Trump administration's implementation of reciprocal tariffs on global trading partners.

On this day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 43,968.64, down 224.48 points (0.51%) from the previous session. The S&P 500 Index ended at 6,340.00, down 5.06 points (0.08%), while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite finished at 21,242.70, up 73.27 points (0.35%) from the previous session.

The previous day, President Trump’s mention of exemptions for tariffs on semiconductor items had a positive impact on investor sentiment, particularly for technology stocks. President Trump stated, "We will impose tariffs of about 100% on semiconductors," and added, "If (semiconductor manufacturing plants) are built in the United States, the tariffs will not be imposed."

As a result, stocks related to artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors performed strongly overall. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose by 1.50%. TSMC gained more than 4%, ASML rose 3.21%, Nvidia increased 1%, and AMD jumped 5.69%.

Apple announced the previous day that it plans to make an additional investment of $100 billion (about 140 trillion won) in the United States over the next four years, which led to a 3.18% rise in its stock price on this day.

On the other hand, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly plunged 14.14% as the results of late-stage clinical trials for its obesity treatment disappointed investors. The sharp drop in Eli Lilly's stock was the main factor contributing to the decline in the Dow Jones Index on this day.