[Edaily Reporter Lee Hye-ra] The stock market closed higher for the second consecutive day. Driven by renewed optimism and strong performance from major blue-chip stocks, the market continued its upward trend today.
According to MP Doctor on the 12th, the KOSPI closed at 8,123.62, up 359.67 points (4.63%) from the previous trading day.
The index, which opened with a gain of over 6%, continued its sharp rise early in the session, led by major companies, triggering a buy-side circuit breaker at one point. This marks the 13th time this year that the KOSPI buy-side circuit breaker has been triggered.
Although the index briefly recovered the 8,400 level in the afternoon, it narrowed its gains somewhat with one hour remaining before the close of regular trading.
Major market participants played a significant role. Foreign investors turned to net buying in the stock market for the first time in 11 trading days, purchasing 2.7 trillion won worth of shares on this day alone. Institutions, driven by strong buying from the financial investment sector, showed a net buying advantage of 3.1 trillion won. In contrast, retail investors moved to take profits for the first time in three days, resulting in a net sell of 5.2965 trillion won.
Among the top 20 stocks by market capitalization, all but #Samsung Electro-Mechanics ended the day in the red.
#Samsung Electronics and #SK Hynix closed up 7% and 2%, respectively. Driven by strong buying from foreign investors, both semiconductor stocks briefly recorded double-digit gains during the day. Buying interest in Samsung Electronics surged following foreign media reports suggesting the company may be tasked with producing part of Google’s next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics rose by over 10% during the session, but profit-taking selling pressure emerged rapidly in the afternoon. Samsung Electro-Mechanics closed down 5.04% at 1,714,000 won.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index closed at 1,029.05, up 32.12 points (5.21%) from the previous trading day.
The KOSDAQ index, which opened by regaining the 1,000-point mark, continued its upward trend following a sharp 4% surge the previous day.
In terms of market participants, buying by institutions, led by asset management firms, was prominent. Institutions bought for the second consecutive day, recording net purchases of 645.4 billion won. In contrast, retail investors and foreign investors sold 269.7 billion won and 437.6 billion won, respectively. Retail investors and foreign investors have been net sellers in the KOSDAQ market for two consecutive days.
The top KOSDAQ stocks closed mixed.
Among the top 10 stocks, #Alteogen, #Juseong Engineering, #Kolon TissueGene, and #HLB fell. #Wonik IPS hit the daily price limit and closed at 183,300 won.
Lee Jae-won, an analyst at Yuanta Securities, stated, “This week, the domestic stock market saw profit-taking centered on large-cap stocks amid overlapping concerns over interest rate volatility, geopolitical tensions, and AI investments, following last week’s record highs.” He added, “The KOSDAQ, which had entered an oversold zone, found support on the downside, and rotational buying was observed in semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment, as well as some domestic demand sectors.”
He continued, “The dot plot and Kevin Warsh’s remarks at next week’s FOMC meeting will be the key variables driving volatility,” advising, “Rather than betting on excessive market expansion, a focused strategy targeting sectors with high earnings visibility and potential for easing supply-demand pressures—such as semiconductors, semiconductor materials and components, retail, and finance—is more effective.”