The KOSPI index recovered the 2,570 level on the 7th, thanks to buying pressure from foreign investors. It is the first time the KOSPI index has surpassed 2,570 since March 27 (closing at 2,607.15), marking a span of 26 transaction days.
With both foreign investors and institutions engaging in net purchasing, the Korean won showed strength, which was notable as airline stocks rose. The KOSDAQ index also turned upward during the session and ended with a strong showing.
The KOSPI index finished 14.01 points (0.55%) higher at 2,573.8 compared to the previous transaction day. The KOSPI index started with an upward trend but briefly fell to 2,559.17 in the early session before turning upward again and surpassing the 2,570 level.
Foreign investors and institutions net purchased 348.2 billion won and 86.9 billion won, respectively. Notably, foreign investors, after showing a selling trend for two days before the holiday, began buying stocks again after three transaction days. Individuals alone net sold 464.0 billion won worth.
In the securities market, as the Korean won showed strength, beneficiary airline stocks rose sharply. The expectation that profitability would improve due to falling oil prices also positively impacted stock prices. On that day, Korean Air rose by nearly 8%, while AIR BUSAN (7.09%), JIN AIR (6.92%), and Jeju Air (4.58%) also saw significant increases.
Hanwha Aerospace surged by nearly 9%, surpassing Hyundai Motor to become the fifth largest company by market capitalization in the securities market. As Hyundai Motor's stock price paused due to the impact of U.S. tariffs, Hanwha Aerospace attracted buying interest amid a focus on defense performance. On that day, Hanwha Aerospace reached an intra-day high of 896,000 won, setting a new one-year record.
Among the top stocks by market capitalization in the securities market, SK hynix (2.58%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (1.71%), LG Energy Solution (0.62%), Samsung Electronics (0.55%), and KB Financial (0.43%) rose. In contrast, the bio industry faced weakness, with Samsung Biologics (-4.06%) and Celltrion (-1.29%) declining.
The KOSDAQ index closed at 722.81, up 0.95 points (0.13%) from the previous day. On that day, foreign investors and individuals net purchased 26.3 billion won and 200 million won, respectively, while institutions net sold 3.2 billion won worth.
U.S. President Donald Trump noted on the 5th that tariffs on pharmaceuticals would be imposed within two weeks, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment in the pharmaceutical and bio sectors. The news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration appointed Vinay Prasad, who has been strongly critical of vaccines, as the new Director General of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research also impacted stock declines. On that day, LigaChem Biosciences (-6.84%), HUGEL (-3.49%), Peptron (-3.05%), and PharmaResearch (-2.44%) closed lower.
Among the top market-cap stocks in the KOSDAQ market, ECOPRO BM and Ecopro were down in the 3% range. In contrast, Rainbow Robotics (3.12%), CLASSYS (2.94%), and HLB (2.44%) saw increases.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., said, 'The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is scheduled to continue until the 7th (local time), and the domestic stock market showed sector differentiation while awaiting the FOMC results.'
Meanwhile, as of 3:30 p.m. that day, the exchange rate of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar recorded 1,397.4 won, down 7.9 won from the previous transaction day.