KOSPI Closes Down 3% Amid U.S. Concerns... Individuals Scoop Up 3 Trillion Won [Financial News Closing Market Summary]

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged more than 3%, dropping close to the 4,000-point mark. Overnight, the U.S. stock market was dampened by diminished expectations for rate cuts and concerns over the overvaluation of artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, which in turn affected the domestic market. As KOSPI's decline deepened, individual investors made net purchases exceeding 3 trillion won in a single day.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 14th, KOSPI closed at 4,011.57, down 159.06 points (3.81%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 4,061.91, a 2.61% drop, and continued to fall throughout the session.
In the main stock market, individuals bought a staggering 3.8311 trillion won worth of shares in just one day. Foreign investors and institutions sold off 2.8557 trillion won and 990.3 billion won, respectively.
By sector, textiles and apparel (up 0.41%) and pharmaceuticals (up 0.24%) gained, while most others declined, including electrical and electronics (down 6.21%), insurance (down 5.35%), machinery and equipment (down 4.82%), and medical and precision instruments (down 4.54%).
Among large-cap stocks, Samsung Electronics (down 5.35%) and SK hynix (down 8.01%) suffered significant losses. LG Energy Solution (down 4.33%), Hyundai Motor (down 2.33%), and Doosan Enerbility (down 5.54%) also fell sharply.
However, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries managed to close up 1.58% following the announcement of the joint fact sheet, a result of Korea-U.S. tariff and security negotiations.
Despite the U.S. government shutdown ending overnight, the American stock market closed sharply lower due to economic data concerns, debates over the overvaluation of AI-related stocks, and a series of hawkish comments regarding a possible December rate cut. The S&P 500 Index dropped 1.7%, while the NASDAQ Composite Index fell 2.3%.
As a result, the domestic market also saw a steep decline, particularly among large-cap semiconductor and AI-related stocks. Only industrials showed gains, buoyed by the release of the joint fact sheet.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Securities, noted, "Recently, individual net buying has provided support for the index whenever profit-taking occurs in the domestic market," adding, "With expectations for a December rate cut now diminished, the market's attention is focused on Nvidia Corporation's earnings announcement on the 20th."
On the same day, the KOSDAQ Index closed at 897.90, down 20.47 points (2.23%) from the previous session.
In the KOSDAQ market, individuals purchased 381.3 billion won worth of shares, while foreign investors and institutions sold 344.3 billion won and 23.7 billion won, respectively.

[email protected] Park Ji-yeon Reporter