Following news of a trade agreement between the United States and Japan, expectations for reduced tariff uncertainty grew, leading foreign investors to return to the KOSPI market just one day later. In particular, projections that tariffs on Korean automobile products could be lowered contributed to a strong performance in automobile stocks. The KOSDAQ index finished the day at a level similar to the previous day after oscillating between gains and losses.
On this day, the KOSPI index closed at 3183.77, up 13.83 points (0.44%) from the previous trading day. It opened at 3189.65, up 19.71 points (0.62%) from the previous session, and seemed to recover the 3200 level as it rose to 3199.86. However, the upward momentum soon stalled, shifting to a downtrend before turning positive again in the afternoon.
The index, which initially appeared to be weak, was boosted by foreign investors and institutions engaging in net purchases. Individual investors sold 682.8 billion won, but foreign investors and institutions made net purchases of 316.9 billion won and 292.3 billion won, respectively. Foreign investors, who turned to net selling for the first time in nine trading days the previous day, returned to a buying position again.
On this day, semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix continued a downward trend at the beginning of the trading session but ultimately closed up 0.61% and 0.19%, respectively. Preferred shares of Samsung Electronics also rose by 0.55%. Samsung Biologics, KB Financial, Doosan Enerbility, and others saw gains, while Hanwha Aerospace experienced a decline.
In the KOSPI market that day, shares of Hyundai Motor and Kia were strong due to the impact of the U.S.-Japan trade deal. Hyundai Motor closed at 222,000 won, up 7.51% from the previous trading day, while Kia finished at 106,100 won, up 8.49%. The mutual tariffs on Japan were reduced by 10 percentage points from what the U.S. initially forecasted, increasing expectations regarding Korea's possible benefits.
The KOSDAQ index closed at 813.56, up 0.59 points (0.07%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 815.88, up 2.91 points (0.36%) from the previous day, but quickly turned downward before slightly rising again at the close. Individual investors made net purchases of 146.9 billion won, while foreign investors and institutions sold 32.7 billion won and 107.2 billion won, respectively.
Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, Alteogen, ECOPRO BM, HLB, Ecopro, PharmaResearch, LigaChem Biosciences, HUGEL, and others gained. Meanwhile, Peptron and Rainbow Robotics experienced declines.
In particular, Sam Chun Dang Pharm surged 29.71% on this day, hitting its daily limit price of 213,500 won. This was due to the news that its developing oral GLP-1 generic successfully passed biological equivalence testing against the original medication, Novo Nordisk's "Rybelsus." There are growing expectations of improved performance due to the ability to significantly reduce production costs compared to the original drug with the development of the generic medication.
Dowooinsys, a company specializing in ultra-thin strengthened glass (UTG), saw its stock close at 44,340 won, a 38.6% increase from the public offering price of 32,000 won. Dowooinsys also rose nearly 80% during the day.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market, as of 3:30 p.m., the won-dollar exchange rate recorded 1,379.8 won, down 8.0 won from the previous day.