KOSDAQ Surges as Foreign and Institutional Investors Turn to Net Buying, Up 1.7% Intraday

KOSPI Also Rebounds After Earlier Losses
Individual Investors Remain Sole Net Buyers

On the 17th, as the KOSPI index surpassed 3,750, reaching a new all-time high, the index was displayed on the status board in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. 2025.10.17 Photo by Yoon Dongju

The KOSDAQ index surged by over 1.7% as foreign and institutional investors shifted from net selling to net buying.

As of 10:48 a.m. on the 20th, the KOSDAQ index stood at 874.12, up 1.70% from the previous day. After opening slightly higher at 864.98, the index continued to gain momentum.

Foreign and institutional investors, who had shown selling tendencies earlier in the session, turned to net buying and pushed the index higher. Currently, foreign investors have net purchased 81 billion won, and institutions have net purchased 15.5 billion won. Individual investors have net sold 84.2 billion won.

Almost all sectors are on the rise. Many sectors recorded gains of over 1%, including finance (4.61%), pharmaceuticals (3.47%), textiles & apparel (2.84%), machinery & equipment (2.53%), and distribution (1.01%). However, paper & wood (-0.93%) and non-metallics (-0.78%) declined.

All of the top 10 stocks by market capitalization are showing strength. Pharmaresearch rose by 8.7%, marking the largest increase. Ecopro, which had declined earlier in the session, rebounded to close at 78,800 won, up 7.5% from the previous day. Most other stocks also gained, including Peptron (5.9%), Ligachem Bio (4.7%), HLB (4.6%), ABL Bio (3.1%), Rainbow Robotics (2.8%), and Alteogen (2.0%).

The KOSPI, which had turned downward, also rebounded. At the same time, it recorded 3,776.83, up 0.75% from the previous day. After opening slightly higher at 3,775.40, the index briefly fell to 3,728.38 during the morning session but regained its upward trend.

However, unlike the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors and individuals in the KOSPI market net sold 368.3 billion won and 178.3 billion won, respectively. Only institutional investors net purchased 529.9 billion won.

Many sectors also recorded gains. Securities (3.00%), medical & precision instruments (2.04%), transportation equipment & parts (1.82%), pharmaceuticals (1.33%), machinery & equipment (1.14%), and finance (1.09%) saw the largest increases. However, electricity & gas (-2.52%) and distribution (-0.99%) declined.

Most of the top 10 KOSPI stocks by market capitalization were also on the rise. Hanwha Aerospace (3.2%), SK Hynix (2.3%), Samsung Biologics (1.7%), Kia (1.6%), Hyundai Motor (1.5%), and KB Financial Group (1.0%) posted the largest gains. Samsung Electronics (-0.6%) and LG Energy Solution (-0.5%) declined.