KOSPI Surpasses 4,030 During Morning Trading
Large-cap Stocks Including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Rally Together
Japan's Nikkei Index Breaks 50,000 Mark Intraday for the First Time Ever
The KOSPI index surpassed the 4,030-point mark, ushering in the era of "Sacheonpi" (KOSPI 4,000 points). Samsung Electronics also broke through the "100,000 won per share" milestone. On this day, Japan's Nikkei index also exceeded the 50,000-point mark during trading hours for the first time in history.
As of 9:40 a.m. on October 27, the KOSPI index was trading at 4,031.02, up 89.43 points (2.27%) from the previous trading day. The KOSPI opened at 3,999.79, up 1.48%, and quickly broke through the 4,000-point level. Foreign investors are leading the rally, purchasing 278 billion won worth of shares. In contrast, individual investors and institutions are selling off 180.9 billion won and 89.5 billion won worth of shares, respectively.
Notably, the stock price of Samsung Electronics, the nation's leading blue-chip stock, rose by 2.73% to 101,500 won, earning it the nickname "100,000 Electronics." Coincidentally, this day also marks the third anniversary of Lee Jae-yong's inauguration as Chairman of Samsung Electronics. As the semiconductor sector has bottomed out and is showing a rebound in performance, market expectations have grown.
On the third anniversary of Chairman Lee's inauguration, Samsung Electronics is expanding collaborations with global companies such as Tesla, Apple, and OpenAI, driving its transition into new growth engines like artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The company is also actively enhancing shareholder value by strengthening employee incentives through measures such as share buybacks and cancellations, and the introduction of a performance share unit (PSU) system. As a result, the number of minority shareholders increased by 800,000 over the past year, reaching 5,049,000 as of the end of June this year.
Other top KOSPI market cap stocks, including SK Hynix (up 4.51%), also showed strong performances. SK Square (up 7.47%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (up 6.57%), Hanwha Ocean (up 5.25%), and HD Hyundai Electric (up 4.49%) are among those leading the rally. By sector, most industries posted gains, including construction (up 3.33%), transportation equipment and parts (up 2.97%), electrical and electronics (up 2.38%), pharmaceuticals (up 2.34%), finance (up 2.12%), and securities (up 2.05%).
On the 27th, when the KOSPI, Korea's representative stock index, surpassed the 4000-point mark for the first time in history, dealers were working in the dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index rose by 12.69 points (1.44%) to 895.77 compared to the previous day. Individual investors bought 38.2 billion won worth of shares, while foreign investors made net sales of 50 billion won. Institutions sold off 7.5 billion won worth of shares. Among the top KOSDAQ market cap stocks, pharmaceutical and biotech companies were strong, buoyed by expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut.
On this day, Japan's Nikkei index also exceeded the 50,000-point mark during trading hours for the first time in history. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun cited factors such as the easing of concerns over U.S.-China trade friction as drivers of the rally.
Meanwhile, this week, the securities market is set for a series of major events, including the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and major corporate earnings announcements both at home and abroad. The key point of interest at the October FOMC meeting is whether the U.S. Federal Reserve will decide to cut interest rates.
Joonki Cho, a researcher at SK Securities, said, "Last month, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth rate fell below market expectations, making a 25bp (1bp=0.01 percentage point) rate cut almost certain. In addition, Europe, Japan, and Canada also have scheduled monetary policy meetings and interest rate decisions. The market expects Europe and Japan to hold rates steady, while Canada is expected to cut by 25bp."
The results of summit meetings between the leaders of the United States, China, South Korea, and other countries, which will be held consecutively during the APEC summit, are expected to influence this week's stock market and exchange rates. South Korea is scheduled to hold a summit with the United States on the 29th, with tariff negotiations as a key issue.
Seonghun Lee, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said, "As the market digests a series of major events, we should be mindful that the degree of daily stock price volatility could increase compared to last week," adding, "With the need to absorb both major corporate earnings announcements and large-scale events at home and abroad, the actual direction of the stock market is likely to be reset starting next week."
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