The KOSPI index recently showed a sluggish trend, with renewed tariff pressures from U.S. President Donald Trump, starting slightly higher on the 19th and fluctuating within a stable range.

On the 19th, the KOSPI index is displayed on the status board in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

As of 9:09 a.m. on that day, the KOSPI index recorded 3,172.76, down 4.52 points (0.14%) from the previous day. The KOSPI index began trading at 3,185.04, up 0.24% from the previous trading day.

In the securities market, foreigners were net sellers of 95.6 billion won, dragging down the index. Retail investors and institutions were net buyers of 104.6 billion won and 600 million won, respectively.

Large-cap stocks fluctuated. Hanwha Aerospace (-2.59%), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-1.58%), and Hyundai Motor (-0.23%) were declining, while Samsung Electronics (0.71%), SK hynix (0.56%), Samsung Electronics preferred stock (0.35%), LG Energy Solution (0.26%), and Samsung Biologics (0.19%) were rising.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ index was trading at 797.16, down 0.89 points (0.11%) from the previous day. The KOSDAQ index opened at 799.54, up 1.49% from the previous day. In the KOSDAQ market, foreigners and institutions were selling off 32.7 billion won and 26.6 billion won, respectively, while retail investors were net buyers of 73.9 billion won.

Among the top KOSDAQ market caps, ABL Bio (-2.23%), Sam Chun Dang Pharm (-1.49%), LigaChem Biosciences (-1.32%), Peptron (-1.08%), and Alteogen (-0.91%) were declining, while Ecopro (2.32%), ECOPRO BM (1.45%), and HLB (0.25%) were rising.

On that day, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the exchange rate of the won against the U.S. dollar started trading at 1,388.8 won, up 3.8 won from the previous day.

Overnight, U.S. stocks moved within a narrow range while waiting to see if a trilateral meeting between the leaders of the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia would materialize.

On the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 44,911.82, down 0.08% from the previous trading day. The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 index was down 0.01% at 6,449.15, while the NASDAQ index was up 0.03% at 21,629.77.

On that day, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a summit at the White House. After the meeting, President Trump noted, "Sensitive issues, including territorial matters, will be discussed in the trilateral meeting, and we will try to convene it as soon as possible." This raised the possibility of a trilateral meeting depending on President Vladimir Putin's decision.

Meta's stock dropped more than 2% on news that it would restructure its artificial intelligence (AI) sector. Shares of semiconductor giant Intel also fell nearly 4% amid speculation that the U.S. government could use part or all of the subsidies to acquire Intel's equity.

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