[Closing Market] KOSPI Regains the 6,910 Level Amid Stronger Won
The domestic stock market concluded the week on Aug. 21, with a ‘polarized market’ where the directions of the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets sharply diverged.The KOSPI index closed at 6,912.95 on this day, up 60.37 points (0.88%) from the previous trading day. Following the aftermath of the weak performa
On August 21, the South Korean KOSPI stock market closed at 6,912.95 points, marking an 88% increase from the previous trading day. After initially opening lower at 6,759.95 points, the market experienced a reversal when strong buying momentum took hold in large-cap semiconductor stocks, particularly Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
The KOSDAQ index, however, suffered a sharp decline due to heavy selling pressure, mainly on small and medium-sized technology stocks, secondary batteries, and pharmaceutical and bio stocks, closing at 801.94 points, a 4.63% decrease from the previous day.
The contrasting performance between the two indices was attributed to different investor behaviors. Individual investors focused on profit-taking and showed significant selling dominance in semiconductor and electrical electronics sectors. Foreign investors, on the other hand, contributed to the market's rebound by significantly buying shares of Samsung Electronics. Institutional investors defended the index with a buying dominance of 248.5-328.3 billion won.
In the KOSPI market, semiconductor bellwethers and stocks benefiting from shareholder return policies drove the upward trend, while battery, shipbuilding, and defense stocks faced weakness. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw substantial gains, with Samsung Electronics' stock reaching a high of 285,000 won during the session. In contrast, secondary battery and defense stocks, such as LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor, declined significantly.
The won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,386.5 won per dollar, down 6.1 won from the previous day, influenced by rising U.S. Treasury yields and a lull in the strong dollar.
Written by urgent.news from BusinessKorea's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
