On August 25, the KOSPI index opened sharply lower, dropping more than 2% due to weakness in U.S. tech stocks. The KOSDAQ also fell over 3%, losing its footing above the 800 mark.
As of 9:08 a.m., the KOSPI was down 215.63 points (-3.22%) at 6,481.33. The index started the day at 6,353.93, down 161.03 points (-2.40%), and continued to decline.
In the main market, individual investors were net buyers, purchasing 823.8 billion won. Meanwhile, foreign and institutional investors sold a net 773.3 billion won and 79.7 billion won, respectively, contributing to the index's drop.
Most large-cap stocks were also in the red. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the decline, falling 3.89% and 5.51%, respectively. Other notable declines included SK Square (-5.95%), Samsung Electro-Mechanics (-5.46%), LG Energy Solution (-3.87%), Samsung Biologics (-1.59%), Samsung C&T (-1.37%), and KB Financial (-0.06%). In contrast, Hyundai Motor saw a slight increase of 0.36%.
The weakness in the KOSPI was attributed to the decline in U.S. tech stocks overnight. On August 24, Nvidia fell 2.91%, marking its seventh consecutive day of losses ahead of its earnings report. Micron dropped 5.83%, AMD fell 3.49%, and Broadcom decreased by 2.63%.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index was down 25.32 points (-3.16%) at 787.62, having started the day at 806.93, down 6.40 points (-0.79%).
In the KOSDAQ market, individual investors were net buyers, purchasing 138.4 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors sold a net 93.6 billion won and 42.6 billion won, respectively.
All major stocks in the KOSDAQ were also experiencing declines. Alteogen fell 4.99%, while EcoPro (-7.28%) and EcoPro BM (-7.09%) dropped over 7%. Other notable declines included ABL Bio (-6.07%), Wonik IPS (-5.08%), Rino Technology (-4.80%), JUSUNG Engineering (-4.52%), Peptron (-3.94%), HLB (-3.57%), Rainbow Robotics (-3.49%), IOTech (-2.58%), and Pharma Research (-2.40%).
Analysts have suggested the possibility of a rebound. Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, stated, "The recent pressure on the stock market is a short-term factor created by supply and demand volatility ahead of Samsung Electronics' shareholder return and concerns over Nvidia's earnings, rather than a fundamental crack. As the likelihood of further macroeconomic negative factors, such as interest rates and oil prices, spreading is decreasing, it is advisable to avoid further reducing stock holdings at this time."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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