Summary
- The KOSPI closed up 0.75% at 4,586.32, setting an all-time high on a closing basis.
- Foreigners posted net selling of KRW 1.5992 trillion, while institutional and retail buying supported the index, sending defense, autos and shipbuilding sharply higher.
- Hanwha Aerospace, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Motor jumped, while on the Kosdaq Alteogen and Peptron rose and Ecopro BM and Ecopro fell; the won-dollar rate hit KRW 1,458.4.
The KOSPI rewrote its all-time high on a closing basis. Retail investors absorbed profit-taking supply dumped by foreigners worth more than KRW 1.5 trillion. Defense, autos and shipbuilding—sectors seen as potential market leaders following semiconductors—surged sharply as institutional buying flowed in heavily.
On the 9th, the KOSPI ended the session up 33.95 points (0.75%) from the previous day at 4,586.32. It easily surpassed the prior record closing level of 4,552.37 set the previous session.
Early in the session, the index weakened on foreigners’ selling in heavyweight semiconductor names. It fell more than 1% at one point, putting the 4,500 level at risk. It later turned higher as institutions increased purchases.
Foreign investors posted net selling of KRW 1.5992 trillion worth of shares on the main board. In contrast, institutions and retail investors bought a net KRW 1.1958 trillion and KRW 130.7 billion, respectively.
Most of the top market-cap names rose.
Samsung Electronics, which had been down early, finished slightly higher. Foreigners unloaded KRW 914.3 billion worth of shares, but retail and institutions bought KRW 389.6 billion and KRW 275.4 billion, respectively.
SK hynix fell 1.59%. That was a relatively contained decline compared with its intraday low, when losses widened to as much as 3.84%.
Hanwha Aerospace and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries surged 11.38% and 4.64%, respectively. The move was driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about increasing defense spending, which stoked a global arms buildup. Hanwha Aerospace topped the KRW 1.2 million mark for the first time.
Hyundai Motor also jumped 7.49%, setting a fresh record high.
The Kosdaq closed up 3.86 points (0.41%) at 947.92. In this market, retail and institutions net bought KRW 104.4 billion and KRW 76.0 billion worth of shares, respectively, while foreigners sold KRW 171.6 billion.
Most Kosdaq heavyweights declined.
However, Alteogen and Peptron surged 6.79% and 4.72%, respectively.
ABL Bio slipped 5.1%.
Ecopro BM and Ecopro fell 2.01% and 3.93%, respectively.
In Seoul’s FX market, the won-dollar exchange rate was trading at KRW 1,458.4 per dollar, up KRW 6.6 (0.45%) from the previous day.
Han Kyung-woo, Hankyung.com reporter case@hankyung.com
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