Buoyed by the semiconductor rally and added expectations that the follow-up trade talks between Korea and the United States will wrap up, the KOSPI index continued its upward trend on the morning of the 16th.
The KOSPI index stood at 3724.4 at 11:27 a.m. that day, up 67.12 points (1.84%) from the previous day. It climbed as high as 3726.42 intraday, setting a new all-time high.
In the KOSPI market, foreign investors and institutions led the rise by net buying 371.6 billion won and 326.7 billion won, respectively. Individuals were net sellers of 674 billion won.
With memory chip prices jumping on demand from the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix both hit fresh record highs.
Automakers such as Hyundai Motor and Kia, which had lagged due to relatively high U.S. tariff rates, were also strong. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview that the follow-up talks are in the final stages, boosting expectations for tariff cuts.
The KOSDAQ index continued its sluggish trend. As of 11:27 a.m., it was flat at 864.69. It appears to reflect foreign investors and institutions taking "sell" positions of 173.5 billion won and 78 billion won, respectively. Only individuals net bought 263.4 billion won, defending the index.
Among the top KOSDAQ market cap stocks, Alteogen, Rainbow Robotics, Peptron, and LigaChem Biosciences were weaker.
ECOPRO BM and Ecopro posted share price gains of around 10%. PharmaResearch, HLB, and Sam Chun Dang Pharm were also strong.