KOSPI catches its breath around 4,880 as foreigners buy while individuals and institutions sell [FN Morning Market Report]

[The Financial News] The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is moving sideways around the 4,880 level, as foreigners continue net buying despite net selling by individual and institutional investors.
At 9:35 a.m. on the 21st, the KOSPI stood at 4,882.24, down 3.51 points (0.07%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 4,808.94, a drop of 76.81 points (1.57%) from the previous close, but has since pared some of its losses.
In the KOSPI Market, foreign investors are net buyers of about 290 billion won. In contrast, individuals and institutions are net sellers of roughly 265.5 billion won and 48.5 billion won, respectively.
By sector, all groups are weaker except for electricity and gas (up 2.35%), electrical and electronics (up 0.37%), and medical and precision instruments (up 0.07%). Losses are particularly steep in securities (down 3.19%), transportation and warehousing (down 2.70%), machinery and equipment (down 2.40%), and IT services (down 2.22%).
Among large-cap stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics (up 1.72%), SK hynix (up 0.94%), Hyundai Motor Company (up 4.38%), Kia (up 2.14%), and SK Square (up 1.29%) are gaining. On the other hand, LG Energy Solution (down 2.61%), Samsung Biologics (down 1.56%), Hanwha Aerospace (down 1.68%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (down 3.43%), and Doosan Enerbility (down 3.36%) are under pressure.
Analysts say the domestic stock market, which had risen for 12 consecutive trading days this month, has turned downward as geopolitical uncertainty has increased due to the Greenland issue sparked by the Executive Branch of the United States under Donald John Trump. Recently, President Trump expressed his intention for the US to purchase Greenland and has been at odds with European countries that oppose the move. As both sides hint at imposing retaliatory tariffs, concerns about a trade war are mounting.
Han Ji-young, a researcher at KIWOOM Securities, said, "The domestic stock market is likely to fall today, affected by the sharp decline in the US market triggered by uncertainty stemming from Trump," and added, "Going forward, negative macro news such as Trump’s Greenland conflict and concerns over Japan’s deteriorating fiscal situation could put the brakes on stock market optimism."
At the same time, the KOSDAQ Index was trading at 947.29, down 29.08 points (2.98%) from the previous session. The index started the day at 958.05, down 18.32 points (1.88%) from the previous close.
In the KOSDAQ market, only individual investors are net buyers, purchasing about 304.2 billion won. Foreign investors and institutions are showing net selling of approximately 155 billion won and 143.7 billion won, respectively.

yimsh0214@fnnews.com Lim Sang-hyuk Reporter