The KOSPI has fallen nearly 41% from its peak this year. A comparison of major global stock indices shows that the KOSPI's decline exceeds that of Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index by more than double and is over five times greater than Taiwan's TAIEX.
According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI closed at 5,550.30 on October 23. This represents a 40.86% drop from its intraday peak of 9,385.59 earlier this year.
Data from various exchanges and financial information providers indicate that among the ten indices compared—including the KOSPI, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, India's Nifty 50, Japan's Nikkei 225, China's Shanghai Composite, France's CAC 40, Taiwan's TAIEX, the U.S. Nasdaq Composite, Germany's DAX, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200—the KOSPI experienced the largest decline.
The decline rates were calculated by comparing each index's highest intraday price of the year with its closing price on October 23. Taiwan's index was closed on the 23rd, so the closing price from the previous trading day, October 22, was used.
The second-largest decline was seen in Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index, which fell 17.69% from its peak of 28,056.10 on January 29 to 23,093.37 on October 23. The KOSPI's drop is approximately 2.3 times that of the Hang Seng Index.
India's Nifty 50 index decreased by 14.31%, dropping from its peak of 26,373.20 to 22,600.00.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 13.92%, from its peak of 32,831.73 on June 22 to 26,693.16. China's Shanghai Composite index dropped 13.35%, from 4,258.86 to 3,690.48.
France's CAC 40 index decreased by 11.10%, falling from its peak of 8,755.03 to 7,782.82.
Notably, Taiwan's TAIEX index reached an intraday high of 49,968.92 on October 6 but closed at 46,041.43 on October 22, reflecting a decline of only 7.86% from its peak.
Both South Korea and Taiwan have significant semiconductor industries that heavily influence their stock markets. However, the extent of the decline from their peaks has varied, with the KOSPI's drop being approximately 5.2 times greater than that of Taiwan's TAIEX.
Meanwhile, the declines in the U.S., Germany, and Australia were in single digits. The U.S. Nasdaq Composite fell 6.38%, dropping from its peak of 27,722.75 on October 6 to 25,955.34 on October 23.
Germany's DAX index decreased by 5.40%, falling from its peak of 26,618.74 to 25,181.65. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 5.39%, from 9,296.70 to 8,795.20.
The KOSPI's decline from its peak is about 6.4 times that of the Nasdaq Composite and approximately 7.6 times that of the DAX and S&P/ASX 200.
Despite the KOSPI's drop of over 40% from its peak this year, it remains higher compared to the end of last year. The returns can vary significantly depending on the timing of investments in the same index.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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