Tensions surrounding the Middle East are rising amid reports that the United States is considering direct strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. However, the domestic stock market had a solid day despite geopolitical risks. With inflows from foreign and institutional investors, the KOSPI index approached the 3000 mark.
On the 18th, the KOSPI index closed at 2972.19, up 21.89 points (0.74%) compared to the previous transaction day. Starting at 2937.06, down 0.45% from the previous day, the KOSPI index briefly fell to 2933.63 during the session but successfully turned upward in the morning. However, it failed to break through the 3000 mark.
Individuals showed buying pressure early in the session but turned to 'selling' in the morning, with a net sell of 289.7 billion won. In contrast, foreign and institutional investors began with net selling early in the session and ended with net buys of 152.7 billion won and 209 billion won, respectively.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on the 17th (local time) that he demands 'unconditional surrender' from Iran and could carry out operations to remove Iran's supreme leader. This stance came after he cut short his schedule for the Group of Seven (G7) summit and quickly returned to Canada. Following heightened unrest in the Middle East, U.S. stock markets closed lower overnight.
Kang Jin-hyuk, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., analyzed, "Despite concerns over President Trump's hard-line response, there were no significant actions afterward, and the Asian markets showed slight gains." Kim Ji-won, a researcher at KB Securities, noted, "The rise in the KOSPI index was led by some large-cap stocks, including Samsung Electronics and Naver, suggesting a sector rotation is underway."
On that day, Samsung Electronics finished at 59,800 won, up 1,700 won (2.93%) from the previous transaction day as foreign capital poured in. Foreign investors net bought about 1.8 million shares of Samsung Electronics, while institutions purchased around 1 million shares.
AI-related stocks led by NAVER, which produced a chief AI officer under the Lee Jae-myung administration, also showed an upward trend in the stock market. Naver rose 17.92%, while Synapsoft (29.94%), HANCOM (17.92%), Konan Technology (13.89%), and ESTsoft (11.52%) also charted steep rises.
The KOSDAQ index closed at 779.73, up 4.08 points (0.53%) compared to the previous transaction day. It started at 772.87, down 0.36% from the previous day, but turned upward during the session as individuals and institutions net bought 30.1 billion won and 44 billion won, respectively. It mirrored the movements of the KOSPI. Foreign investors sold 78.6 billion won worth.
On that day, the top stocks by market capitalization in the KOSDAQ exhibited mixed performance. HUGEL showed the largest increase at 6.82%. ECOPRO BM (1.01%), Ecopro (0.6%), Rainbow Robotics (0.55%), PharmaResearch (2.86%), and CLASSYS (0.16%) also rose. Conversely, Alteogen (0.63%), HLB (1.18%), Peptron (2.22%), and LigaChem Biosciences (4.68%) closed lower.
On that day, the exchange rate in the Seoul foreign exchange market was 1,369.6 won against the U.S. dollar, down 9.9 won from the previous day.