KOSPI Holds Above 7,500 as Foreign Investors and Retail Traders Battle for Control [Financial News Closing Market Report]

[Financial News] KOSPI barely held above the 7,500 level on the 18th, supported by retail buying despite heavy selling by foreign investors.
The benchmark index closed at 7,516.04, up 22.86 points, or 0.31%, from the previous session.
KOSPI opened at 7,443.29, down 49.89 points, or 0.67%, from the previous day. As losses quickly widened to more than 5%, a sell-side circuit breaker was triggered around 9:19 a.m.
On the Korea Exchange Main Board, foreign investors sold 3.6515 trillion won worth of shares, while retail and institutional investors bought 2.2086 trillion won and 1.3912 trillion won worth, respectively.
Among the top 14 stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Doosan Enerbility, and SK hynix ended higher, rising 3.88%, 2.08%, 1.17%, and 1.15%, respectively.
By contrast, Hyundai Motor Company, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Kia closed lower, falling 5.29%, 3.91%, and 3.27%, respectively.
KOSDAQ closed at 1,111.09, down 18.73 points, or 1.66%, from the previous session. It opened at 1,122.57, down 7.25 points, or 0.64%.
khj91@fnnews.com Kim Hyun-jung Reporter