KOSPI Recovers to 4,110 Mark on Heavy Individual Buying Worth 1 Trillion Won; KOSDAQ Slightly Down [fn Afternoon Market Report]

[Financial News] After plunging more than 2% in early trading, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rebounded in the afternoon to recover the 4,110 level. The Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) index is also trading slightly lower.
As of 2:15 p.m. on the 15th, the KOSPI was trading at 4,114.81, down 52.35 points (1.26%) from the previous session. The index opened at 4,053.74, a 2.72% drop from the previous close, but pared losses in the morning to climb back above 4,100.
In the main stock market, foreign investors and institutions sold 995.7 billion won and 382.4 billion won worth of shares, respectively, dragging the index down. However, individuals alone purchased 1.3613 trillion won, aggressively buying on the dip.
By sector, pharmaceuticals (up 3.98%), metals (up 2.66%), and textiles & apparel (up 1.30%) are showing gains. In contrast, construction (down 4.51%), medical & precision instruments (down 2.75%), and electrical & electronics (down 2.57%) are underperforming.
Among the top market cap stocks, most are trading lower, including Samsung Electronics (down 3.40%), SK hynix (down 1.93%), LG Energy Solution (down 0.56%), and Hyundai Motor Company (down 2.32%). On the other hand, only bio stocks such as Samsung Biologics (up 7.27%) and Celltrion (up 0.96%) are rising.
On the 12th (local time), the U.S. stock market weakened as major artificial intelligence (AI) companies such as Oracle Corporation and Broadcom Inc. reported results that fell short of expectations. Notably, Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom Inc., stated at a briefing following the earnings release on the 11th, "The outlook for non-AI revenue in the first quarter remains unchanged from a year ago," adding, "Rapidly growing AI revenue has a lower total margin than non-AI revenue."
Skepticism about the AI industry led the three major U.S. stock indexes to close lower. The NASDAQ Composite Index (COMP), which is tech-heavy, ended the session at 23,195.17, down 398.69 points (1.69%) from the previous day. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) also plunged 5.10%.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Securities, noted, "Broadcom Inc.'s results, which were seen as a key inflection point, turned out to be disappointing, leading to a decline in the semiconductor sector." He added, "The upcoming earnings release from Micron Technology, Inc. on the 17th is expected to serve as another key inflection point for semiconductor sector investor sentiment this week."
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index was trading at 937.21, down 0.13 points (0.01%) from the previous session. The index started the day at 925.60, a 1.25% drop from the previous close.
In the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors and institutions showed net selling of 50.9 billion won and 140.8 billion won, respectively, while individuals alone bought 234.8 billion won worth of shares.

nodelay@fnnews.com Park Ji-yeon Reporter