The KOSPI index turned upward on the 26th after three trading days. The KOSPI index started lower that day but fluctuated around the 2630 level before rising to the 2640 level and closing the session. Despite concerns over a slowdown in the U.S. economy leading to weak performance in the New York stock market, the domestic stock market performed well. The KOSDAQ index also closed slightly higher.
On that day, the KOSPI index closed at 2641.09, up 10.80 points (0.41%) from the previous trading day. In the securities market, individuals and foreigners sold 20.6 billion won and 322.3 billion won, respectively, while institutions made a net purchase of 239 billion won.
In the securities market, shares of the largest companies by market capitalization showed mixed trends, with Celltrion, which achieved its highest-ever sales, showing an increase of over 8%. Celltrion announced that its consolidated sales for the previous year were 3.55573 trillion won, with an operating profit of 492 billion won. Celltrion ranked first among stocks with net purchases from foreign and institutional investors that day, attracting a net inflow of 108.6 billion won from foreigners and 51.6 billion won from institutions.
Kakao also recorded a gain of over 5%. Samsung Electronics and Samsung Biologics fell, while SK hynix, LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Motor, and NAVER closed higher.
The New York Stock Exchange closed mixed overnight, analyzed as being influenced by new economic indicators showing that consumer confidence in the U.S. economy fell more sharply than expected. The consumer confidence index for February released on the 25th (local time) was 98.3 (with 1985 = 100 as the baseline), down 7 points from January. This raised concerns over a slowdown in the U.S. economy. The tech-heavy NASDAQ index (-1.35%) and the Standard & Poor's 500 index (-0.47%) have fallen for four consecutive trading days, while only the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.37%.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., noted, "The KOSPI has outperformed the U.S. stock market," adding, "As the Monetary Policy Committee decided to lower interest rates, individual investors have begun buying, and the outflow of funds from foreigners and institutions has also decreased." He further evaluated, "While selling pressure on U.S. tech stocks continues, the stock market in Korea remains steady."
The KOSDAQ index closed at 771.41, up 1.98 points (0.26%) from the previous day. The KOSDAQ index also turned upward after three trading days since the 21st. In the KOSDAQ market, foreigners and institutions sold a net 71.7 billion won and 36.2 billion won, respectively, while individuals led the market with a net purchase of 118.5 billion won.
In the KOSDAQ market, stocks among the largest by market capitalization showed mixed trends. While Ecopro BM, Ecopro, LigaChem Biosciences, HUGEL, and LEENO Industrial rose, HLB, Rainbow Robotics, and Sam Chun Dang Pharm fell.
The KOSDAQ market also showed resilience against downward pressure from the U.S. A researcher stated, "The KOSDAQ market rebounded after three trading days," and added, "The market is paying attention to interest rate stability and has been consistently outpacing the KOSPI." In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won/dollar exchange rate recorded 1,433.1 won, up 2.7 won from the previous trading day (1,430.4 won).