[Edaily Reporter PARK MIN ] SamsungElectronics(005930)and SK hynix(000660), which had plummeted amid concerns over U.S. interest rate hikes and speculation about a slowdown in artificial intelligence (AI) growth, rebounded sharply on the 21st. Led by SamsungElectronics(005930), which surged by around 5% during the session, buying interest poured into semiconductor stocks across the board, and the KOSPI recovered the 7,000-point mark for the first time in seven trading days. This is believed to be due to the lifting of uncertainty surrounding U.S. monetary policy on the New York Stock Exchange last week and the strong performance of memory semiconductor stocks, which revived investor sentiment in the domestic market.

According to MP Doctor SamsungElectronics(005930), as of 3:35 p.m., closed the regular session up 4.98% at 274,000 won, while SK hynix(000660)also showed a solid performance, rising 0.59% to 1,868,000 won. SamsungElectronics(1P)(005935) Buying interest was concentrated across leading semiconductor and IT stocks, including SKSQUARE(402340)(6.07%), (4.45%), and SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)(2.95%).

Buoyed by the strength of large-cap stocks, the KOSPI closed at 7,007.72, up 113.49 points (1.65%) from the previous trading day. This marks the first time in seven trading days—since the 10th—that the KOSPI has closed above the 7,000 mark.

Securities analysts assessed that the stock market, which had been weighed down by the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate hike and Anthropic’s “AI slowdown” theory, has shaken off uncertainty and is gradually entering a phase of relief. In particular, analysts noted that downward pressure has eased as the rationale behind the “slowdown” argument—promoted by artificial intelligence (AI) companies—has faced backlash following the filing of a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. alleging that such claims constitute collusion.

Na Jeong-hwan, an analyst at NH INVESTMENT & SECURITIES, explained, “Remarks on slowing down the pace of AI development by Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, and others stemmed from ethical concerns and the need to counter China.” He added, “Given that the U.S. government has taken a negative stance on slowing down the pace, and considering the context of the technological hegemony competition between the U.S. and China, it is unlikely to lead to a substantial slowdown in AI infrastructure capital expenditures (CAPEX).”

The positive momentum in the semiconductor sector, driven by the easing of concerns over AI slowdown, quickly spread beyond large-cap stocks to encompass the entire domestic “components, materials, and equipment” sector, including equipment, back-end processing (OSAT), and materials. Expectations that expanded capital expenditures and capacity increases by major semiconductor manufacturers would directly translate into earnings for their partners stimulated investor sentiment.

On that day, Signetics Corp.(033170), a back-end processing company, surged 30.00% to hit the daily price limit (upper limit), while YC Corporation(232140)rose 19.65% to close at 14,250 won. SFA Semicon Co., Ltd(036540)(16.96%), Hana Micron Inc.(067310)(15.91%), WINPAC INC.(097800)(13.12%), FINE SEMITECH Corp.(036810)(11.25%), APACT Co., Ltd.(200470)(11.19%), TSE CO.,Ltd(131290)(10.91%), CMTX Co.,Ltd. (10.24%), and DOOSAN TESNA(131970)(10.22%) also all posted double-digit gains.

Han Ji-young, an analyst at KIWOOM Securities, explained, “Since the stock market’s underlying fundamentals—such as the AI capital expenditure (CAPEX) cycle and corporate earnings momentum—remain intact, stock prices have shown strong resilience even in the face of external shocks.”

On that day, institutional investors led the KOSPI’s rise with net purchases totaling 1.3255 trillion won. In contrast, as the index broke through the 7,000 mark, retail investors sold a net 2.8522 trillion won to lock in profits, and foreign investors—who had been net buyers early in the session—also switched to net selling of 135.9 billion won in the latter part of the session. “Other corporations,” which have emerged as major market participants due to share buybacks by SamsungElectronics and SK hynix, also purchased approximately 1.6 trillion won worth of shares that day.

Industry observers cite the U.S.-China summit scheduled for the 24th, along with trends in U.S. Treasury yields and international oil prices, as key variables that will determine the stock market’s direction this week. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to focus their discussions at this summit on bilateral issues such as AI, trade, and rare earth metals. Investor sentiment toward domestic semiconductor stocks, including SamsungElectronics and SK hynix, is also expected to be significantly influenced by the severity and direction of U.S. semiconductor restrictions on China.

Researcher Na Jeong-hwan stated, “From the perspective of the domestic semiconductor industry, the core issue of the summit is the AI agenda, which is directly linked to semiconductor controls on China,” adding, “If the ‘open-closed weight’ discussion mentioned by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent materializes as a crackdown on model distillation, China’s path to low-cost AI development could narrow, which could result in favorable spillover benefits for domestic semiconductor companies.”