[Edaily Reporter Shin Ha-yeon ] The KOSPI is extending its losses, with the 7,000-point level now under threat. Amid renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, foreign and institutional investors are engaging in net selling, dragging the index lower.

According to MP Doctor on the 13th, as of 11:04 a.m. today, the KOSPI is trading at 7,022.50, down 453.44 points (6.07%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 7,412.03, down 0.85% from the previous day, and although it managed to reverse course and rise during the session, it soon turned bearish and has been extending its losses. At one point during the session, the index fell as low as 1,017.60.

At 10:34 a.m. today, the 18th “sell-side sidecar” (suspension of sell orders in program trading) of the year was triggered. A sell-side sidecar is triggered when the price of the futures contract with the highest trading volume on the previous trading day (the nearest-month contract) among those based on the KOSPI 200 falls by 5% or more and remains at that level for one minute.

By investor type, foreign and institutional investors are exerting downward pressure on the index with net sales of 747.4 billion won and 580.5 billion won, respectively. Retail investors are the only group showing net purchases, totaling 1.296 trillion won, but this is insufficient to stem the index’s decline. Program trading, combining arbitrage and non-arbitrage trades, shows a net selling position of 842.6 billion won.

By sector, the electrical and electronics sector is down by around 8%. Most sectors—including manufacturing, finance, insurance, retail, construction, machinery and equipment, electricity and gas, telecommunications, medical and precision instruments, securities, general services, IT services, and transportation equipment and parts—are trading lower. In contrast, chemicals, textiles and apparel, pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, and tobacco, and real estate are trading higher.

Among the top market-cap stocks on the KOSPI, SamsungElectronics(005930)is trading at 266,000 won, down 19,000 won (6.67%) from the previous trading day. SK hynix(000660)is trading at 1,944,000 won, down 239,600 won (10.83%) from the previous close.

Following these, SKSQUARE(402340)(-13.41%), SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)(-15.21%), HyundaiMotor(005380)(-1.42%), Samsung Life Insurance(032830)(-6.61%), SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION(028260)(-6.90%), and KIA CORPORATION(000270)(-1.42%) are all trading lower.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index is also showing a decline, recording 818.46—down 18.97 points (2.27%) from the previous trading day. While retail investors and institutional investors are net buyers of 115.3 billion won and 133.9 billion won, respectively, institutional investors alone are net sellers of 244.4 billion won.