[Edaily Reporter Kim Kyung-eun] On the 18th, the KOSPI made history by breaking through the 9,000 mark for the first time ever based on its closing price. Although the first Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting under Fed Chair Kevin Warsh was more hawkish than expected, the index ultimately settled above the 9,000 mark, buoyed by massive net buying by foreign investors and a rally in semiconductor and electronic equipment stocks.

According to MP Doctor, the KOSPI closed at 9,063.84, up 199.60 points (2.25%) from the previous trading day. It surged to 9,106.07 at one point during the session, setting a new 52-week high. Trading volume reached 49.9101 trillion won.
Despite various external factors, the KOSPI has continued its sharp upward trend this year. After breaking through the 5,000-point mark for the first time in history based on the closing price on January 27, it successively surpassed the 6,000-point mark on February 25, the 7,000-point mark on May 6, and the 8,000-point mark on May 26, reaching the 9,000-point mark in just five months. It took only about five months for the index to nearly double, rising from the 5,000 mark to the 9,000 mark.
By investor type, foreign investors led the index’s rise with net purchases of 1.2826 trillion won. In contrast, retail investors and institutions recorded net sales of 380.6 billion won and 777.5 billion won, respectively.
Top-tier stocks by market capitalization showed mixed performance. #SK Hynix closed at 2,685,000 won, up 164,000 won (6.51%), and #Samsung Electro-Mechanics closed at 2,200,000 won, surging 168,000 won (8.27%). #Samsung Electronics (+4.62%), #SK Square (+6.52%), #Samsung Life Insurance (+4.92%), #Samsung Electronics Preferred Shares (+0.88%), and #Samsung C&T (-0.92%) also saw mixed performance.
On the other hand, #Hyundai Motor (-2.75%), #LG Energy Solution (-3.85%), and #HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-3.25%) fell.
On the KOSPI, only 112 stocks rose, while 791 fell, meaning the majority of stocks were in the red, contrary to the index’s performance.
The KOSDAQ closed at 1,000.93, down 31.03 points (3.01%), barely holding above the 1,000 mark. While retail investors made net purchases of 392.8 billion won, this was not enough to offset the combined selling by foreign investors (-132.3 billion won) and institutions (-265.0 billion won).
#EcoProBM (-4.28%), #EcoPro (-4.32%), #Alteogen (-0.94%), #Rainbow Robotics (-1.60%), #Juseong Engineering (-3.41%), #Kolon TissueGene (-5.58%), #Rino Industrial (-2.53%), #HLB (-1.38%), and most other top-market-cap stocks closed lower. With declining stocks (1,436) significantly outnumbering rising ones (257), small- and mid-cap stocks faced concentrated selling pressure, contrasting with the concentration of buying in KOSPI large-cap stocks.
By sector, a concentration in semiconductors and electronic devices (IT) was particularly notable. Computer and Peripheral Equipment (+6.66%), Electronic Equipment and Devices (+5.67%), Semiconductors and Semiconductor Equipment (+5.12%), and Life Insurance (+4.41%) showed strength.
In contrast, most sectors closed lower, including energy equipment and services (-8.80%), healthcare companies and services (-7.06%), shipping companies (-6.80%), construction (-4.82%), shipbuilding (-4.67%), and auto parts (-4.48%).