[Edaily Reporter Park Sun-Yeop ] The KOSPI is plummeting by more than 7% during today’s trading session. Amid growing profit-taking pressure following the market’s rebound over the past two days, the decline is widening as foreign and institutional investors continue to sell off their holdings. With KOSPI 200 futures prices falling by more than 5%, a sell-side circuit breaker was triggered in the KOSPI market.
According to MP Doctor on the 26th, as of 11:56 a.m. today, the KOSPI stands at 8,259.20, down 671.10 points (7.51%) from the previous trading day. The index has continued its downward trend since the opening, briefly dipping to 8,256.00 during the session.
The Korea Exchange also triggered the KOSPI market sell-side sidecar at 11:12:12 a.m. that day. This measure was taken after the price of KOSPI 200 futures—which use the KOSPI 200 as their underlying asset—fell by 72.88 points (5.00%) from the reference price of 1,454.88 points to 1,382.00 points. As a result, the execution of program sell orders on the stock market was suspended for five minutes.
In terms of current supply and demand, foreign investors and institutions are leading the index decline with net sales of 3.463 trillion won and 859 billion won, respectively. In contrast, retail investors are net buyers of 4.2161 trillion won. Program trading also shows a net selling position of 2.775 trillion won, combining both arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades.

Securities analysts noted that selling pressure is concentrated on large-cap semiconductor stocks amid concerns over price burdens for companies that rely on memory demand. They assessed that growing concerns in the U.S. stock market overnight—despite Micron Technology’s strong earnings—that rising semiconductor prices could lead to increased cost burdens for Big Tech companies also weighed on domestic semiconductor investment sentiment.
Kang Jin-hyuk, a senior researcher at Shinhan Investment Securities, said, “While the U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index rose 4.1% year-over-year—exceeding the 4% mark for the first time in three years—the impact on the market was limited as the figure met market expectations.” He added, “Despite the strength in the memory sector driven by Micron’s earnings, Big Tech stocks underperformed due to the ripple effects of Apple and Microsoft raising their selling prices in response to the sharp rise in semiconductor prices.”
Researcher Kang continued, “Combined with unstable investor sentiment and the burden of the previous day’s sharp rally, the domestic stock market is also declining, led by the semiconductor sector.” He explained, “Amid a general slump in large-cap semiconductor stocks such as SamsungElectronics and SK hynix, foreign investors have continued net selling for the sixth consecutive trading day.”
By market capitalization, large-cap stocks are down 6.84%, while mid-cap and small-cap stocks are down 3.75% and 2.60%, respectively. Most sectors are also in the red. The securities sector is down 7.65%, while the electrical/electronics and manufacturing sectors are down 7.49% and 7.12%, respectively. In contrast, the medical/precision instruments sector is up 0.69%, making it the only sector index showing gains.
Most of the top market-cap stocks are also trading lower. SamsungElectronics(005930)is trading at 330,500 won, down 28,000 won (7.81%) from the previous trading day. SK hynix(000660) is also down 246,000 won (8.43%) to 2,671,000 won.
In addition, SKSQUARE(402340)(-11.01%), HyundaiMotor(005380)(-6.16%), LG Energy Solution(373220)(-6.11%), SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION(028260)(-4.34%), Samsung Life Insurance(032830)(-4.14%), and SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)(-0.80%) are also on the decline.
The KOSDAQ index also hit a new intraday low. At the same time, the KOSDAQ index was trading at 854.37, down 33.44 points (3.77%) from the previous trading day. The index briefly fell to 852.92, marking its lowest point of the year.
In the KOSDAQ market, retail investors are net sellers of 2996억원 worth of stocks. In contrast, foreign and institutional investors are net buyers of 671억원 and 2316억원 worth of stocks, respectively. Program trading, combining arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades, is showing a net buying position of 972억원.
Major growth stocks—including biotech, secondary batteries, and robotics—are underperforming, exacerbating the index’s decline. In contrast, some semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment stocks are showing strength. SIMMTECH Co., Ltd. is rising on expectations of low-interest loans from the National Growth Fund, while equipment stocks such as WONIK IPS Co.,Ltd. and PSK INC. are also posting double-digit gains.
The market is also paying close attention to the possibility that policy directions—including the National Growth Fund, Business Development Companies (BDCs), inflows from pension funds, the “Value-Up” initiative, and improvements to disclosure systems—will be discussed at capital market-related events scheduled for next week.