[E-Daily Reporter Shin Ha-yeon ] The KOSPI opened slightly lower and is fluctuating around the flat line. This is believed to be due to renewed military clashes between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend, which have affected investor sentiment.

According to MP Doctor on the 13th, as of 9:15 a.m. today, the KOSPI is trading at 7,513.83, up 37.89 points (0.51%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 7,412.03, down 0.85% from the previous session, and has since been fluctuating between gains and losses.

On the previous trading day, the 10th (local time), U.S. stock markets closed higher across the board, driven by strength in large-cap tech stocks and some semiconductor stocks. On the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average—which comprises blue-chip stocks—rose 149.60 points (0.29%) from the previous day to 52,637.01, while the S&P 500 Index, a benchmark for large-cap stocks, rose 31.75 points (0.42%) to 7,575.39, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 26,281.61, up 74.72 points (0.29%).

However, geopolitical tensions have escalated as armed clashes between the U.S. and Iran resumed over the weekend. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
re-blocked the Strait of Hormuz 24 days after the U.S. and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the 17th of last month, which called for the immediate reopening of the strait upon the start of a 60-day ceasefire between the two sides.

In response, U.S. airstrikes against Iran began at 6:00 a.m. on the 13th (KST). U.S. Central Command announced on the 12th (local time) that it had launched additional airstrikes against Iran for threatening merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and posted on social media platform X: “At 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, we launched additional airstrikes to continue degrading Iran’s ability to attack civilian sailors and merchant ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

Choi Jae-won, an analyst at KIWOOM Securities, said, “This week, the KOSPI is expected to recover from last week’s losses, influenced by the U.S. June CPI, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s testimony before Congress, earnings reports from U.S. financial firms such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, earnings reports from ASML and TSMC, and changes in the domestic semiconductor supply and demand,” and He advised, “For this week alone, it is appropriate to focus on the recovery of investor sentiment in the domestic stock market, centered on semiconductor stocks, driven by the strong performance of SK hynix ADRs.”

In terms of supply and demand, foreign and institutional investors are currently net buyers on the KOSPI market, with 30.5 billion won and 37.2 billion won in net purchases, respectively. Retail investors are the only group showing net selling, at 69.5 billion won. Program trading, combining arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades, shows a net selling position of 27.3 billion won.

By sector, most are showing gains. The chemicals sector is up by around 3%. Securities, metals, transportation equipment and parts, pharmaceuticals, medical and precision instruments, and entertainment and culture are all up by around 2%. Following these, most other sectors—including non-metals, machinery and equipment, food, beverages, and tobacco, paper and wood, general services, construction, retail, textiles and apparel, insurance, and transportation and warehousing—are also showing strength. In contrast, telecommunications and electrical and electronics are trading lower.

Among the top market-cap stocks, SamsungElectronics(005930)is trading at 289,000 won, up 4,000 won (1.40%) from the previous trading day. SK hynix(000660)is trading at 2,113,000 won, down 67,000 won (3.07%). In addition, SKSQUARE(402340)(-5.32%) and SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)(-5.18%) are also trading lower. On the other hand, HyundaiMotor(005380)(2.51%), LG Energy Solution(373220)(3.53%), KB Financial Group(105560)(2.22%), and SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS(207940)(3.23%) are on the rise.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ market is trading at 863.58, up 26.25 points (3.12%) from the previous trading day. In terms of supply and demand, retail and institutional investors are net buyers of 42 billion won and 29 billion won, respectively. Foreign investors are the only net sellers, with 66.9 billion won in net sales.

Most of the top market-cap stocks are trading higher. Alteogen Inc.(196170)(5.09%), ECOPRO BM CO., LTD.(247540)(2.55%), ECOPRO CO., LTD(086520)(3.15%), JUSUNG ENGINEERING Co.,Ltd.(036930)(9.69%), Rainbow Robotics(277810)(1.87%), and WONIK IPS Co.,Ltd.(240810)(6.32%) are all on the rise.