KOSPI Swings at 4,800 on Trump Tariff Threat... KOSDAQ Also Plunges Nearly 2%

KOSPI Drops Over 1% Despite Foreign Buying
Major Semiconductor Stocks Edge Higher

On January 21, the KOSPI started with a sharp decline of over 1%, dropping to the 4,800 level in early trading. The KOSDAQ is also down by nearly 2%.

Yonhap News Agency

As of 9:12 a.m., the KOSPI index stood at 4,842.66, down 0.88% from the previous trading day. The index opened at 4,808.94, a 1.57% drop from the previous session, and fell further to 4,807.13, erasing the gains made over the past week. However, it is now attempting to recover as the decline narrows.

Individuals and institutions are dragging the index down by selling 203.8 billion won and 42.2 billion won, respectively. In contrast, foreign investors are net buying 241 billion won.

Most sectors are in decline. Transportation & warehousing (-2.75%), machinery & equipment (-2.66%), securities (-2.62%), and IT services (-2.05%) are among the biggest losers. Only electric & gas (0.55%) and paper & wood (0.18%) are showing gains. At the same time, the volatility index in the main stock market is up 1.79%.

However, the top two stocks by market capitalization and major domestic semiconductor stocks, Samsung Electronics (up 0.76%) and SK Hynix (up 0.94%), are rising. Among other top market cap stocks, Hyundai Motor (up 1.77%) and Kia (up 0.31%) are also up, while LG Energy Solution (down 1.86%), Samsung Biologics (down 1.09%), Hanwha Aerospace (down 0.99%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (down 3.12%), and Doosan Enerbility (down 3.15%) are declining.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index is at 959.19, down 1.76% from the previous trading day. The index opened at 958.05, down 1.88% from the previous session, and is fluctuating between the 950 and 960 levels.

By sector, all categories except distribution (up 0.44%) are declining. General services (-3.73%), finance (-2.44%), pharmaceuticals (-2.18%), transportation equipment & parts (-2.03%), and chemicals (-2.00%) are among those with the steepest drops.

Top market cap stocks are also broadly weak. Alteogen (down 4.00%), Ecopro BM (down 1.62%), Ecopro (down 1.88%), ABL Bio (down 2.84%), Rainbow Robotics (down 2.29%), HLB (down 2.30%), Samchundang Pharm (down 2.36%), Kolon TissueGene (down 1.68%), LIG ChemBio (down 3.24%), and Peptron (down 1.63%) are among the main decliners.