KOSDAQ Hits Highest Level Since Dot-Com Bubble, While KOSPI Pauses for Breath

Record High of 1,064... Highest Since September 2000
Institutions Post Record Net Buying of 2.6 Trillion Won
Institutions Absorb 3 Trillion Won in Individual Sell-Off
KOSPI Pauses After Setting New All-Time High

The KOSDAQ index closed at 1,064, setting a record high since the dot-com bubble in the early 2000s. In contrast, the KOSPI reached an intraday all-time high but failed to surpass the 5,000 mark at closing, as profit-taking led to a pullback.

On the 26th, the KOSDAQ finished at 1,064.41, up 7.09% from the previous trading day. This is the highest closing price in about 26 years, since the dot-com bubble peak of 1,074.10 on September 6, 2000. The index entered a territory it had not reached even during the liquidity surge following COVID-19, marking an unprecedented rally.

The surge is attributed to net buying by foreign investors and institutional investors. Foreign investors recorded a net purchase of 608.5 billion won, while institutional investors made an exceptional net purchase of 2.6276 trillion won. Considering that even on days with heavy trading, net purchases typically amount to several hundred billion won, this is considered unusual. Despite individual investors posting a record net sell-off of 3.1082 trillion won, institutional investors absorbed most of the volume.

All sectors rose. The financial sector soared by an impressive 15.43%. Several other sectors also saw gains of more than 5%, including pharmaceuticals (9.35%), machinery and equipment (8.39%), electrical and electronics (7.53%), general services (7.18%), manufacturing (7.15%), chemicals (5.52%), and non-metallics (5.32%).

The top 10 stocks by market capitalization all surged. Most posted double-digit increases, including Rainbow Robotics (25.4%), Ecopro (22.5%), ABL Bio (21.4%), Ecopro BM (18.7%), Legochem Bio (11.6%), Leeno Industrial (10.3%), and Peptron (10.0%).

In contrast, the KOSPI ended trading at 4,949.59, down 0.81% from the previous session. Although it set a new intraday all-time high of 5,023.76, profit-taking prevented the index from closing above 5,000.

In the KOSPI market, individual investors recorded a net purchase of 2.1362 trillion won. This is the largest single-day net purchase since November 21, 2025, when the figure was 2.6838 trillion won. Foreign investors and institutions posted net sales of 416.1 billion won and 1.7049 trillion won, respectively.

Most sectors declined. Several sectors fell by more than 1%, including distribution (-1.99%), transportation and warehousing (-1.94%), construction (-1.69%), food, beverages and tobacco (-1.59%), and securities (-1.39%). However, metals (4.34%) and medical and precision equipment (3.78%) rose.

Most of the top 10 stocks by market capitalization declined. Several fell by more than 1%, including SK Hynix (-3.5%), Hyundai Motor (-3.3%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-3.3%), Kia (-2.2%), Doosan Enerbility (-1.6%), and SK Square (-1.2%). On the other hand, LG Energy Solution (0.9%), Hanwha Aerospace (0.8%), Samsung Biologics (0.1%), and Samsung Electronics (0.1%) rose.

On the 26th, the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices are displayed on the status board in the dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency