KOSPI Hits All-Time High on Foreign Buying, Surpasses 4,430 Mark [The Financial News Afternoon Market Briefing]

[The Financial News] The KOSPI continues its record-breaking rally, driven by strong performances from leading domestic semiconductor stocks, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
As of 1:38 p.m. on the 5th, the KOSPI was trading at 4,437.87, up 128.24 points (2.98%) from the previous session. The index opened at 4,385.92, a rise of 76.29 points (1.77%), and continued to climb throughout the session.
A surge in foreign buying has propelled the index upward. While individual investors sold 735.8 billion KRW and institutions offloaded 485.4 billion KRW, foreigners recorded a net purchase of 1.2403 trillion KRW.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the two largest companies by market capitalization, are leading the index’s gains.
Samsung Electronics is trading at 136,550 KRW, up 6.26%, while SK Hynix has risen 2.07% to 691,000 KRW. During the session, Samsung Electronics reached 137,500 KRW and SK Hynix hit 700,000 KRW, both setting new 52-week highs.
Jaewon Lee, a researcher at Shinhan Securities, stated, "The U.S. stock market has risen, led by memory semiconductors, and Korea is showing a similar trend. The effects of earnings momentum and guidance were confirmed at Micron Technology a few weeks ago, and further momentum is expected in January."
Besides Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, most of the top market cap stocks are also performing strongly. Doosan Enerbility has surged 9.57%, while SK Square and Celltrion have posted significant gains of 4.08% and 4.20%, respectively. LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Motor Company, KB Financial Group, and Samsung C&T are all up by 2–3%.
By sector, machinery and equipment, electricity and gas, electronics, manufacturing, construction, pharmaceuticals, and transportation equipment and parts are all on the rise. In contrast, entertainment and culture, transportation and warehousing, paper and wood, textiles and apparel, and real estate are showing weakness.
At the same time, the Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) index is trading at 954.99, up 9.42 points (1.00%) from the previous session.

jisseo@fnnews.com Seo Min-ji Reporter