Last night, major indexes on the U.S. New York stock market ended mixed, showing fatigue over tariff issues, while on the 18th, the Korean stock market is experiencing a rollercoaster ride in early trading.
As of 9:10 a.m. that day, the KOSPI index recorded 2,471.36, up 0.95 points (0.04%) compared to the previous trading day. The KOSPI index opened at 2,473.30, up 2.89 points (0.12%) from the previous session.
Large-cap stocks are showing mixed results. While Samsung Electronics, the leading semiconductor company, rose by 0.18%, SK hynix fell by 0.86%. Samsung Electronics' preferred stock declined by 0.22%. Additionally, LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Aerospace, and Kia have seen their stock prices increase. In contrast, Samsung Biologics and Celltrion are experiencing a decline in their stock prices.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index is trading at 711.35, down 0.40 points (0.06%). The KOSDAQ index opened at 713.52, up 1.77 points (0.25%) from the previous trading day.
In the top 10 large-cap stocks, Alteogen and Peptron are seeing declines. On the other hand, ECOPRO BM, HLB, Ecopro, Rainbow Robotics, HUGEL, CLASSYS, LigaChem Biosciences, and PharmaResearch are all experiencing falling stock prices.
On the 17th (local time), the three major indices on the U.S. New York stock market ended mixed, showing fatigue over tariff issues. Ahead of the holiday for 'Good Friday,' transactions were relatively inactive. The pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on Jerome Powell, the Chair of the Federal Reserve, did not significantly move the market.
On that day, the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which focuses on large-cap stocks, finished 7.00 points (0.13%) higher at 5,282.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, focusing on blue-chip stocks, fell by 527.16 points (1.33%) from the previous day, closing at 39,142.23. The Nasdaq index, centering on technology stocks, dropped by 20.71 points (0.13%), ending at 16,286.45.
That day, the index reduced its losses after President Trump expressed optimism about reaching a resolution on tariffs with the European Union and China, but it did not lead to an overall rebound. There were also reports of Trump discussing the potential ouster of Powell, but weary investors, tired from tariff uncertainty, exhibited a cautious stance ahead of the 'Good Friday' holiday.
UnitedHealth Group, the largest private health insurance company in the U.S., plunged over 22%. This was due to first-quarter earnings falling short of market expectations and a drastic cut in annual earnings guidance. Nvidia continued to see a decline of about 3% due to the ongoing effects of restrictions on H20 chip exports to China. After the market closed, Netflix's first-quarter revenue and net income exceeded market expectations, trading at $995.10, up 2.27% based on transactions after hours at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).
That day, the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,420.0 won, up 1.1 won from the previous trading day. (The value of the won has decreased.)