[Edaily Reporter Kim Kyung-eun] The KOSPI turned lower during the session and is trading slightly flat around the 9,000 mark. Although the index surged to the 9,300 level early in the session, driven mainly by semiconductor stocks, investor sentiment appears to have weakened due to profit-taking and delays in the start of follow-up negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

According to MP Doctor on the 19th, as of 1:26 p.m. that day, the KOSPI was trading at 9,016.21, down 47.63 points (0.53%) from the previous trading day.

The index opened at 9,288.89, up 225.05 points (2.48%) from the previous close, quickly breaking through the 9,200 mark. It subsequently broke through the 9,300 mark, but turned downward in the afternoon. It has been fluctuating, dropping to as low as 8,875.33 during the session before recovering to the 9,000 level.

The market volatility is attributed to delays in the start of follow-up negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. On the 18th (local time), the White House announced that Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Switzerland—scheduled for follow-up working-level talks on the nuclear agreement with Iran—had been postponed. The KOSPI’s recent sharp short-term rally is also seen as having negatively impacted investor sentiment.

By investor type, retail investors and foreign investors recorded net purchases of 6870억원 and 3608억원, respectively, while institutions recorded net sales of 9813억원. By sector, insurance and retail are showing strength. In contrast, most sectors—including medical and precision equipment, construction, electricity and gas, and machinery and equipment—are trading lower.

The two stocks with the highest market capitalization showed mixed performance. #Samsung Electronics turned lower and is trading at 355,000 won, down 7,500 won (2.07%) from the previous trading day.

#SK Hynix is trading at 2,776,000 won, up 91,000 won (3.39%). It hit an all-time high of 2,891,000 won early in the session but has since given up those gains.

Among other top-market-cap stocks, #SK Square (5.47%), #Samsung Electro-Mechanics (2.50%), #Samsung Life Insurance (4.69%), and #Samsung C&T (2.99%) are on the rise. Conversely, #Hyundai Motor (-1.00%), #LG Energy Solution (-0.50%), and #HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-3.51%) are down.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index is trading at 954.23, down 46.70 points (4.67%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 1,001.40, up 0.47 points (0.05%) from the previous close, but soon turned lower, falling below the 1,000 mark.

In the KOSDAQ market, retail investors and foreign investors were net buyers of 136.1 billion won and 226.3 billion won, respectively, while institutions were net sellers of 373.4 billion won.

The top two stocks by market capitalization are both on a downward trend. #Alteogen is trading at 347,500 won, down 22,000 won (5.95%) from the previous session. Meanwhile, #Ecopro BM is trading at 166,500 won, down 5,800 won (3.37%) from the previous trading day.

Among other top-market-cap stocks, #EcoPro (-3.15%), #Rainbow Robotics (-6.02%), #Juseong Engineering (-9.08%), and #Kolon TissueGene (-5.0%) are also down.

Han Ji-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, predicted, “The KOSPI is expected to open higher, driven by a 6% surge in the U.S. Philadelphia Semiconductor Index and a 3% gain in KOSPI 200 overnight futures, continuing the previous day’s rally led by the semiconductor sector.” However, she added, “During the session, the KOSPI is expected to shift to a sector rotation pattern with limited momentum for further gains, as profit-taking following the index’s breach of the 9,000-point mark and concerns over the pace of the recent sharp rally converge.”