On the first day of the 'Trump II' administration, the KOSPI index closed without significant movement. The index itself did not have large fluctuations, but individual stocks experienced mixed fortunes following comments from U.S. President Donald Trump. In particular, shares related to secondary batteries dropped sharply after the announcement of the repeal of the electric vehicle mandate.
On the 21st, the KOSPI index recorded 2518.03, down 2.02 points (0.08%) from the previous trading day. In the securities market, foreigners sold 173.2 billion won. Individuals and institutions purchased 55.1 billion won and 61.6 billion won, respectively.
Stocks in the securities market by market capitalization saw mixed trends. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rose by 0.19% and 2.83%, respectively, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries surged 6%. On the other hand, Samsung Biologics (-1.38%), Hyundai Motor Company (-0.96%), and Celltrion (-0.55%) declined.
After U.S. President Donald Trump announced the repeal of the electric vehicle mandate during his inauguration ceremony on the 20th (local time), corporations related to secondary batteries faced a severe blow. LG Energy Solution dropped over 4.3%, and POSCO Holdings fell 4.8%.
Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp, said, "President Trump's speech focused on strengthening borders, environmental deregulation, and tariffs, among other key points," adding, "The statement about repealing the electric vehicle mandate caused related stocks to plummet."
The KOSDAQ index closed at 726.07, down 1.59 points (0.22%) from the previous day. In the KOSDAQ market, foreigners and institutions recorded net sales of 54.7 billion won and 10.8 billion won, respectively, while individuals posted net purchases of 66.6 billion won.
President Trump's influence caused KOSDAQ corporations to experience both gains and losses. Ecopro and ECOPRO BM plummeted by 5.87% and 8.62%, respectively. While Sam Chun Dang Pharm (-4.99%) and LEENO Industrial (-1.07%) fell, HLB rose by 4.15%. Additionally, Rainbow Robotics (7.11%) and another company showed strong performance.
The exchange rate for the Korean won against the U.S. dollar (won-dollar exchange rate) is maintaining around 1440 won as of market closing time. Lee Kyung-min, the head of the Investment Strategy Team at DAISHIN SECURITIES, explained, "The anticipated emergency for tariff imposition was not declared, which has somewhat alleviated concerns about tariffs."
President Trump officially took office as the 47th president on the 20th (local time) in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The U.S. stock market was closed the previous night in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.