Kospi Reclaims 5,400 on Retail Buying; Samsung Electronics Gains 2.79%

South Korea’s Kospi erased an early decline and reclaimed the 5,400 level on November 12, supported by buying from retail investors. Foreign and institutional investors were net sellers, but gains in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix helped underpin the index.

As of 10:40 a.m., the Kospi was up 25.94 points, or 0.48%, at 5,401.30 from the previous session. The index opened at 5,385.94, fell to as low as 5,326.30 at about 9:12 a.m., then rebounded to 5,421.47 around 9:37 a.m.

On the main bourse, retail investors were net buyers of 606.6 billion won, while other corporations bought a net 164.1 billion won. Institutions were net sellers of 533.9 billion won, and foreign investors sold a net 246.7 billion won, limiting the market’s gains.

Samsung Electronics rose 5,750 won, or 2.79%, to 211,750 won. SK Hynix gained 8,000 won, or 0.63%, to 1,285,000 won. AI and semiconductor shares rebounded in regular U.S. trading overnight after strong earnings from CoreWeave, and South Korea’s major chip stocks also advanced.

The Kosdaq Index fell 1.79 points, or 0.25%, to 703.31. It climbed as high as 711.86 early in the session, then slid to 694.76 before trimming losses. Retail investors were net buyers of 312.5 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors were net sellers of 254.6 billion won and 54.1 billion won, respectively.

Moves among the Kosdaq’s largest stocks were mixed. EcoPro and EcoPro BM fell 2.99% and 3.16%, respectively, while Alteogen lost 3.11%. Simtech rose 4.69% and Leeno Industrial gained 2.12%. Jusung Engineering fell 1.91%, while Rainbow Robotics advanced 2.01%.

At the same time, the won was trading at 1,336.60 per dollar in Seoul, down 0.90 won from the previous session.