KOSPI Barely Holds the 8,300 Level on Weakness in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix... 8,303.41 [fn Market Close]

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[Financial News] KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) fell back to the 8,300 level on the 1st as foreign investors' profit-taking sales and caution over National Pension Service (NPS) rebalancing coincided.
The KOSPI closed at 8,303.41, down 173.07 points, or 2.04%, from the previous trading day.
The index opened at 8,591.50, up 115.02 points, or 1.36%, from the previous session, but turned lower intraday as foreign selling intensified.
On the Korea Exchange Main Board, individual investors bought a net 1.7397 trillion won, while foreign investors sold a net 1.7011 trillion won. Institutions also sold a net 70.4 billion won, adding to the index's decline.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the two largest companies by market capitalization, led the decline as both weakened.
Among the top market-cap stocks, Hanwha Aerospace (9.65%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (3.89%), and SK Square (3.54%) closed higher. In contrast, SK Group (-8.51%), Samsung C&T Corporation (-7.36%), Samsung Electronics (-5.84%), LG Energy Solution (-3.87%), Samsung Life Insurance (-3.49%), and SK hynix (-3.40%) posted losses.
The KOSDAQ Index closed at 929.35, up 13.17 points, or 1.44%, from the previous session. It opened at 924.09, up 7.91 points, or 0.86%, from the previous trading day.
The won–dollar exchange rate closed at 1,554.9 won, up 5.5 won from the previous session.

khj91@fnnews.com Kim Hyun-jung Reporter