KOSPI Closes Down 1.5% at 3170 Due to 'Foreign Selling' [fn Closing Market]
- Input
- 2025-08-18 16:03:00
- Updated
- 2025-08-18 16:03:00
[Financial News] KOSPI closed at 3170 due to strong foreign selling pressure. Concerns over President Donald Trump's semiconductor tariff items seem to have played a role.
According to the Korea Exchange on the 18th, KOSPI closed at 3177.28, down 48.38p (-1.50%) from the previous trading day. The index, which started at 3202.63 (-0.71%), expanded its decline and closed at the intraday low of 3177.28.
The decline in the index was led by foreigners. In the securities market, individuals and institutions net bought 437.6 billion won and 67.3 billion won, respectively, while foreigners net sold 595.9 billion won.
By sector, transportation/warehousing (1.86%), electricity/gas (1.22%), and medical/precision instruments (0.36%) were strong, while electricity/electronics (-2.68%), finance (-2.04%), and textiles/apparel (-1.99%) were weak.
Among the top market cap stocks, HMM (7.24%), Hanwha Ocean (2.44%), and Korea Electric Power Corporation (1.54%) were on the rise, while KB Financial Group (-5.12%), SK Hynix (-3.25%), and LG Energy Solution (-2.79%) were on the decline.
KOSDAQ closed at 798.05, down 17.21p (-2.11%) from the previous trading day. Individuals bought 186.2 billion won, while foreigners and institutions sold 59.3 billion won and 113.7 billion won, respectively.
Earlier, President Trump made remarks on the 15th (local time) announcing tariffs on semiconductor items, which is interpreted to have dampened the investment sentiment of foreigners investing in the domestic market.
Kim Ji-won, a researcher at KB Securities, said, "The expansion of the 50% tariff application range on 407 types of imported steel and aluminum products by the U.S. also acted as a burden on related stocks," adding, "The expansion of foreign net selling led to weakness in semiconductors and secondary batteries, and financial stocks showed weakness due to news that the government is pushing to double the education tax imposed on financial sector profits."
koreanbae@fnnews.com Bae Hangul Reporter