KOSPI Tops 8,070 on Strength in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix; Institutions Buy Net 1.5 Trillion Won [fn Afternoon Market]

[Financial News] The KOSPI reclaimed the 8,000 level for the first time in six trading days, supported by gains in major semiconductor stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. In particular, institutional investors are driving the index higher with net purchases worth more than 1.5 trillion won.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 26th, the KOSPI was trading at 8,077.41 as of 1:55 p.m., up 229.70 points, or 2.93%, from the previous session. The index opened at 8,070.91, up 2.84% from the previous day, then widened its gains to touch 8,131.15, up 3.61%, breaking above the 8,100 mark.
In the KOSPI Market, institutions and foreign investors were net buyers of 1.5822 trillion won and 641 billion won, respectively, while individual investors were net sellers of 2.1963 trillion won. Foreign investors turned to net buying in the KOSPI for the first time in 13 trading days.
By sector, electricity and electronics rose 4.76%, manufacturing gained 4.03%, and transportation equipment and parts advanced 4.01%. Textiles and apparel fell 3.31%, insurance dropped 2.50%, and food and tobacco declined 2.27%.
Among the largest stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electro-Mechanics rose 18.51%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries gained 9.85%, and SK hynix climbed 7.37%. Samsung Life Insurance fell 3.70%, Samsung SDI lost 1.39%, and Shinhan Financial Group declined 0.92%.
Among them, SK hynix surpassed 2 million won intraday for the first time on a regular trading day, earning the nickname "2 million-won hynix." Samsung Electronics also broke above 300,000 won, becoming "300,000-won Samsung."
At the same time, the KOSDAQ was trading at 1,176.43, up 15.30 points, or 1.32%, from the previous session. Individual investors were net buyers of 209.8 billion won, while foreign investors and institutions were net sellers of 125.1 billion won and 38.7 billion won, respectively.
The domestic stock market also appears to have been lifted by news of progress in ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran. The two countries are said to have agreed to extend the ceasefire period by 60 days and are close to signing a memorandum of understanding to reach a final agreement during that time.
Lee Sang-yeon, a research analyst at Shinyoung Securities, said, "During the market closure period in South Korea and the United States, major Asian markets with high exposure to the AI value chain, including Japan, Taiwan, and China, repeatedly hit record highs." He added, "In particular, a preferred strategy would be to focus on semiconductors, where expectations for growth in the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and memory semiconductor markets remain intact, as well as IT hardware and power equipment, which could benefit from expanded investment in AI data centers."
  


koreanbae@fnnews.com Bae Han-geul Reporter