The KOSPI index surpassed the 3000 mark, and among large corporate groups, SK and HD Hyundai, Hanwha, and Doosan showed remarkable increases in market capitalization during the rebound of the domestic stock market in the first half of this year. In contrast, POSCO Holdings, Celltrion, and LOTTE Corporation saw their rankings in terms of combined market capitalization decline.
According to the Korea Exchange on the 29th, as of the 27th, SK Group ranked second in market capitalization with 298.89 trillion won, following Samsung Group. SK Group's market capitalization increased by 96.81 trillion won from 202.08 trillion won at the end of last year. It showed the largest increase among all groups. The stock price of SK hynix surged by more than 65% this year, driving the increase in the group's market capitalization. As of the 26th, when SK hynix reached its highest price since 2001, the group's market capitalization surpassed 300 trillion won for the first time.
Samsung Group maintained its first place with a market capitalization of 578.75 trillion won, an increase of 73.22 trillion won compared to the end of last year. The main contributor was the increase in market capitalization of Samsung Electronics, which rose by 42.32 trillion won. However, unlike in the past when Samsung Group's market capitalization was largely dependent on Samsung Electronics' stock price, this time, contributions from other affiliates were also significant.
The market capitalizations of Samsung C&T, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung SDS, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Securities, and Samsung Card all increased in trillion won units.
Hyundai Motor Group ranked third with a market capitalization of 160.4 trillion won, surpassing LG Group. In the first half of this year, its market capitalization increased by 28.38 trillion won. Meanwhile, LG Group saw its market capitalization decrease to 135 trillion won, down by 7.23 trillion won during the same period. Although LG CNS contributed 8.18 trillion won to the market capitalization following its IPO, the stock prices of key listed companies such as LG Energy Solution, LG Chem, and LG Electronics fell, resulting in a decrease in combined market capitalization.
HD Hyundai Group and Hanwha Group were recorded at 113.8 trillion won and 101.18 trillion won, respectively, ranking fifth and sixth. Both groups surpassed the 100 trillion won mark for the first time, with HD Hyundai Group increasing by 36.96 trillion won and Hanwha Group by 60.1 trillion won compared to the end of last year.
Both HD Hyundai Group and Hanwha Group saw their listed stock prices rise. In particular, the shipbuilding and defense sectors, including HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Hanwha Aerospace, and Hanwha Ocean, experienced a boom, rapidly increasing the size of both groups.
Doosan Group ranked seventh with a market capitalization of 64.9 trillion won, thanks to the sharp rise in the stock prices of Doosan and Doosan Enerbility. It climbed four places from 11th at the end of last year. Doosan's stock price surged by 145% this year, boosted by strong performance in its electronic business group's copper foil business, coupled with a trend toward holding companies. Doosan Enerbility benefited from the so-called "nuclear renaissance," with a year-to-date stock price increase of 264%.
Following the rankings: 8th Kakao at 60.25 trillion won, 9th POSCO at 43.41 trillion won, 10th NAVER at 40.8 trillion won, 11th Celltrion at 37.71 trillion won, 12th HMM at 22.96 trillion won, 13th LS at 19.88 trillion won, 14th Hanjin KAL at 19.8 trillion won, and 15th Young Poong at 19.1 trillion won.
POSCO Group and Celltrion Group each dropped two and five places, respectively, compared to the end of last year. This was due to poor evaluations in the market regarding POSCO's main businesses in steel and secondary battery materials, as well as Celltrion's bio sector during the first half of this year. In contrast, LS Group saw a significant increase in market capitalization thanks to LS ELECTRIC, resulting in a jump of six places in the rankings.
The rankings from 16th to 20th are as follows: KT&G at 15.45 trillion won, CJ at 14.96 trillion won, LOTTE Corporation at 14.78 trillion won, KT at 14.74 trillion won, and Mirae Asset Securities at 13.66 trillion won. LOTTE Group dropped to 16th from 12th at the end of 2023 and fell as low as 18th. Mirae Asset Group entered the top 20, climbing seven places from 27th at the end of last year, driven by the boom in the securities and financial sectors.