Foreign Investors Bring Back 1 Trillion Won as KOSPI Recovers to 5,500 Level

[Financial News] The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) was fluctuating around the 5% range during intraday trading on the 10th, hovering around the 5,500 level. Market sentiment improved after U.S. President Donald Trump remarked that the war with Iran "will end soon," easing risk-off sentiment. In particular, foreign investors have been net buyers of more than 1 trillion won in the Securities Market, driving the index’s rebound.

As of 2:05 p.m. that day, KOSPI was up 4.99% from the previous session at 5,513.91. It opened at 5,523.21, up 5.17% from the prior close, and climbed as high as 5,595.88 (up 6.55%) in early trading. With the third buy-side sidecar of the year triggered on KOSPI, the index has fully recovered the previous day’s losses.

In the Securities Market, foreign investors and institutions were net buyers of 1.0784 trillion won and 357.8 billion won, respectively. In contrast, retail investors showed net selling of about 1.3242 trillion won.

Large-cap stocks by market capitalization were broadly stronger. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rebounded 8.07% and 10.89%, respectively, extending their gains. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) rose 3.9% overnight, and strength in global chip names such as SanDisk (up 11.6%) and Micron Technology (up 5.1%) also provided a tailwind. Most top-tier stocks, including SK Square (up 7.07%) and Doosan Enerbility (up 6.44%), were on an upward trend.

By sector, medical and precision instruments climbed 7.15%, while electrical and electronics gained 7.02%, both showing strong advances above 7%. Manufacturing rose 4.92%, electricity and gas added 4.04%, and machinery and equipment increased 3.91%, with most sectors trading higher.

At the same time, KOSDAQ (Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) was up 3.37% from the previous session at 1,139.43. KOSDAQ had opened 4.15% higher at 1,147.99 but then lost some momentum.

In the KOSDAQ market, foreign investors and individuals were net sellers of 372.6 billion won and 20.1 billion won, respectively, while institutions alone were net buyers of 428.6 billion won.

Kang Jinhyuk, a researcher at Shinhan Securities, stated, "As President Trump expressed his intention to end the war early, prices of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil and the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) have calmed to around 88 dollars and 25.5 points, respectively, helping risk appetite recover." He added, "With KOSPI currently trading at about 8.9 times on a 12-month forward price-earnings ratio (PER), valuation remains attractive, so we expect momentum to continue recovering, led by semiconductor and automobile stocks."




elikim@fnnews.com Kim Mi-hee Reporter