[Edaily Reporter Shin Ha-yeon ] The KOSPI continued its sharp decline of over 4% on the afternoon of the 5th, trading around the 5,420 level. After falling below the 5,400 mark during the morning session—triggering the sell-side circuit breaker—the index recovered some of its losses from the low point. However, selling pressure remains strong, particularly in semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure-related stocks, as foreign investors’ net selling exceeded 2.3 trillion won.

According to MP Doctor on the 5th, as of 1:44 p.m., the KOSPI is trading at 5,420.16, down 263.64 points (4.64%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 5,580.09 today but fell as low as 5,386.29 during the session, dipping below the 5,400 mark for the first time since the 23rd of last month.

As the index plummeted early in the session, a “sell-side sidecar”—which temporarily suspends the effectiveness of program sell orders—was triggered on the KOSPI market at 10:16 a.m. The KOSPI “side car” is triggered when the KOSPI 200 futures price remains more than 5% below the benchmark price for at least one minute. Although the KOSPI subsequently recovered to above the 5,400 level, it is still down by around 4%.

In terms of supply and demand, large-scale selling by foreign investors continues. On the stock market, foreign investors are net sellers of 2.355 trillion won. In contrast, retail investors are net buyers of 1.7527 trillion won, and institutional investors are net buyers of 349.2 billion won, absorbing the selling pressure.

Selling pressure is also clearly dominant in program trading. While arbitrage trading shows a net buying position of 273.6 billion won, non-arbitrage trading shows a net selling position of 1.7709 trillion won, resulting in an overall net selling position of 1.4973 trillion won.

Among the top market-cap stocks, semiconductor and AI infrastructure-related stocks continue to plummet. SamsungElectronics(005930)is trading at 203,500 won, down 6.65%, while SK hynix(000660)is trading at 1,273,500 won, down 8.78%. SamsungElectronics(1P)(005935)(-5.71%) and SKSQUARE(402340)(-9.12%) are also falling sharply.

In particular, SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)has plummeted 13.00% to 970,000 won. This is believed to be the result of dampened investor sentiment across the entire AI infrastructure value chain—including semiconductors and power equipment—as concerns about potential regulations on new data center construction have come to the fore following the Democrats’ takeover of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the U.S. midterm elections.

In contrast, some large-cap non-AI stocks are holding up relatively well. HyundaiMotor(005380)is trading at 295,000 won, up 4.06%, while KB Financial Group(105560)is trading at 157,200 won, up 3.76%. SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS(207940)is also up 1.87%. On the other hand, LG Energy Solution(373220)is down 1.27%.

By sector, medical and precision instruments are plummeting by over 10%. Electrical and electronics, manufacturing, machinery and equipment, distribution, insurance, real estate, construction, finance, transportation and warehousing, chemicals, transportation equipment and parts, and securities are all trading lower. In contrast, IT services, entertainment and culture, pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, and tobacco, telecommunications, electricity and gas, general services, metals, and paper and wood are on the rise.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ Index is trading at 684.72, down 30.23 points (4.23%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 713.49 today, fell to 679.97 during the session—briefly dropping below the 680 mark—before partially recovering its losses. The intraday high was 717.06.

In the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors are net sellers by 174.1 billion won, while institutional investors are net sellers by 43.4 billion won. Retail investors are the only group showing net buying, at 212.1 billion won. Program trading shows a net buying position of 700 million won in arbitrage trading and a net selling position of 228.5 billion won in non-arbitrage trading, resulting in an overall net selling position of 227.7 billion won.