On the 22nd, the KOSPI index closed slightly lower than the previous day. The transaction volume in the securities market remained in the 6 trillion won range, showing a retracted appearance, while only political and policy theme stocks showed strength. This is interpreted as the impact of investors' wait-and-see attitude as the policy uncertainties in the United States have not been resolved.
That day, the KOSPI index closed down 1.78 points (0.07%) at 2486.64. The KOSPI index started at 2481.18, down 0.29%, and gradually increased its rise, even surpassing the 2490 mark, but began to decline again starting at 10:30 a.m.
In the securities market, foreigners sold off 242 billion won. Individuals and institutions bought 166.4 billion won and 10.3 billion won, respectively. Foreign investors maintained a net selling trend, except for one day on the 10th, from the 28th of last month.
In the securities market, the top 10 listed companies showed mixed trends. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix fell by 0.72% and 1.59%, respectively, while LG Energy Solution also dropped by 0.15%. Hyundai Motor and Kia also decreased by 0.91% and 1.36%, respectively. On the other hand, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (3.27%) and KB Financial (0.72%) showed strong performance.
Lee Kyung-min, head of the investment strategy team at DAISHIN SECURITIES, noted, “There is also anticipation ahead of tariff negotiations between South Korea and the United States and the start of the earnings season,” but added that “several factors, including U.S. policy uncertainties, are interacting in complex ways, making the market clearly hesitant.”
The KOSDAQ index recorded a rise of 0.67 points (0.09%) from the previous day, closing at 716.12. In the KOSDAQ market, individuals were net buyers of 44 billion won, while foreigners and institutions were net sellers of 19.1 billion won and 1.1 billion won, respectively.
The top 10 companies by market capitalization in the KOSDAQ also showed mixed trends. Kolon TissueGene and LigaChem Biosciences rose by 7.59% and 5.44%, respectively, while Peptron and Alteogen increased by 0.97% and 0.65%. In contrast, HUGEL and Rainbow Robotics fell by 1.55% and 0.35%, respectively, while Ecopro and ECOPRO BM each decreased by 0.32%.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Investment & Securities, said, “With no factors supporting the KOSDAQ index's rise, the themed market was sustained by individual issues,” noting that policy beneficiary themes included '4BY4' for deep learning AI-based visual content improvement solutions, 'SAMPYO Cement' for transfer of the administrative capital, 'AGABANG&COMPANY' for childbirth encouragement, and 'Green Chemical' and 'ECOBio Holdings' for plastic reduction.
Sangji Construction, classified as a Lee Jae-myung themed stock, fell more than 6% due to convertible bond (CB) conversion burdens but sharply rebounded over 24%, ultimately closing up 13.51%.