The KOSPI index, which has continued to rise for five consecutive transaction days since the beginning of the year, paused on the 10th. Foreign investors, who had been buying domestic stocks daily, also turned to net selling that day. This is interpreted as profit-taking due to the rapid rebound of the stock market.
On that day, the KOSPI index recorded a drop of 6.12 points (0.24%) to 2515.78 compared to the previous transaction day. In the securities market, foreigners and institutions sold 39.3 billion won and 396.2 billion won, respectively, while individuals bought 337.4 billion won.
The top 10 companies by market capitalization in the KOSPI showed mixed results. Hyundai Motor and Kia rose by 6.1% and 2.32%, respectively, which is attributed to a strategic partnership between Hyundai Motor and NVIDIA for mobility innovation.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fell by 1.07% and 0.49%, respectively, while LG Energy Solution also declined by 2.65%. Celltrion decreased by 0.16%, whereas KB Financial (1.38%) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (4.15%) closed higher.
Following reports that the South Korean and U.S. governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for joint entry into the global nuclear power market the previous day, Doosan Enerbility (6.21%) and KEPCO E&C (3.33%) also showed upward trends.
Lee Kyung-min, head of the investment strategy team at Daishin Securities, noted, "The U.S. stock market was closed in observance of former President Jimmy Carter's memorial day, leaving little material for the market to rise," adding that there seems to be a wait-and-see attitude ahead of the U.S. employment figures announcement for December.
The KOSDAQ index closed at 717.89, down 5.63 points (0.78%) compared to the previous day. In the KOSDAQ market, foreigners and institutions sold 124.1 billion won and 106.7 billion won, respectively, while individuals made net purchases of 226.3 billion won.
The top 10 companies by market capitalization in the KOSDAQ generally showed a downward trend. However, some pharmaceutical and biotech corporations managed to avoid declines. HLB and Alteogen rose by 1.65% and 0.16%, respectively, and CLASSYS also gained 0.76%. In contrast, Ecopro and ECOPRO BM fell by 3.7% and 8.66%, respectively. Additionally, Rainbow Robotics (-2.75%), Samchundang Pharm (-5.24%), and Enchem (-4.52%) also closed lower. Hyundai HYMS surged by 22.59% on news that its major shareholder planned to sell.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., said, "The KOSDAQ also saw consecutive transaction day increases, leading to profit-taking primarily among large-cap stocks, resulting in a decline," and noted that individual investors' buying momentum continued as investor sentiment recovered.