[Edaily Reporter KWON HYE-ME ] The KOSPI recovered to the 7,000 level amid a "breeze of optimism" following OpenAI's unveiling of its new AI model, Astra. This has led to opinions that now is a good time to buy KOSPI stocks.

An interview with Cha Young-ju, director of the Wise Economic Research Institute, was featured on the YTN Radio program “YTN Hey! Let’s See It,” which aired on the 8th.

On that day, Director Cha noted that while negative factors—such as rising oil prices, rising U.S. Treasury yields, and the possibility of an interest rate hike by the FOMC—still exist, the market has already factored them in to some extent. She added, “Recently, our market—especially the semiconductor sector—has become less sensitive to negative factors and more responsive to positive developments, such as increases in corporate operating profits,” and offered a positive outlook on the KOSPI market, stating, “With foreign and institutional investors continuing to buy, there is no need to worry excessively about these negative factors.”

When the host asked, “Should we view this as a sign that foreign buying will continue?” Director Cha cited the drop in the exchange rate to the low 1,300 won range as one of the reasons.

He continued, “Given that foreign investors typically place orders in advance at night, their inflows are not short-term—lasting just a day or two—but rather part of a sustained trend,” adding, “Considering that foreign investors purchased over 3 trillion won worth of stocks even during the New York market’s closure and over the weekend, we can see that buying momentum for Korean stocks is continuing as a sustained trend.”

In particular, Director Cha believed that further gains for leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are entirely possible. “I’m sure many of you listeners are wondering, ‘Should I buy today?’ The answer to that is ‘yes,’” he said. “I’ve consistently advocated for a strategy of active, staggered buying.”

Director Cha advised, “Didn’t Samsung Electronics hit 270,000 won yesterday? It’s not too late. Just buy it at a slightly higher price and sell when you take a slightly smaller profit,” adding, “I think it’s a mistake to insist on buying at the bottom and selling at the top.”

He emphasized, “Don’t worry about whether others bought (Samsung Electronics) at 230,000 won or 250,000 won,” adding, “Even if I bought at 270,000 or 280,000 won, if I sell once it exceeds 300,000 won, that’s a profit, so you need to be able to accept that.”

Finally, Director Cha said, “The shortages of inventory and supply are evidence that robust demand, centered on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, remains strong, so this can be interpreted positively,” adding, “While the market has tended to focus excessively on concerns recently, stock prices are significantly undervalued—as indicated by Nomura Securities’ forecast of a 3x P/E ratio for next year—so we should focus on positive factors rather than concerns.”

Earlier, on the 4th, Nomura Securities maintained its “Buy” investment rating and target prices (670,000 won and 4.7 million won) for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. This decision was based on the assessment that the stocks remain undervalued, with an expected price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) for 2027 averaging just 3 times.

Meanwhile, the KOSPI reclaimed the 7,000 mark during the trading session. As of 10:30 a.m., it was trading at 7,091.02, up 1.37% from the previous day. Foreign and institutional investors led the KOSPI’s return to the 7,000 level. They have maintained net buying for four consecutive trading days, from the 3rd through today.

This is driven by growing expectations that memory prices will continue to rise as demand for high-capacity products expands following the launch of Astra by OpenAI.