The KOSPI and KOSDAQ indexes opened lower on the 9th. The move is seen as stemming from heightened caution ahead of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.
As of 9:02 a.m., the KOSPI index was at 4,126.11, down 28.74 points (0.69%) from the previous session. The KOSPI opened at 4,129.77, down 25.08 points (0.60%) from the previous day.
In the Korea Exchange main board, individuals alone are net buying 28.2 billion won. Foreign investors and institutions are net selling 26.1 billion won and 3.3 billion won, respectively.
Among large-cap stocks on the main board, most are falling. Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, LG Energy Solution, Hyundai Motor, Kia, KB Financial, and Doosan Enerbility are down, while Hanwha Aerospace alone is rising.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index stood at 924.55, down 3.24 points (0.35%) from the previous session. The KOSDAQ opened at 926.27, down 1.52 points (0.16%) from the previous session.
On the KOSDAQ, individuals are leading the session with net purchases of 65.7 billion won. Foreign investors and institutions are net selling 51.5 billion won and 9.2 billion won, respectively.
Among top KOSDAQ market-cap stocks, moves are mixed. Alteogen, ABL Bio, and LigaChem Biosciences are rising, while EcoPro BM, EcoPro, Rainbow Robotics, HLB, and Kolon TissueGene are falling.
Earlier, the three major U.S. indexes closed lower together. On the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 47,739.32, down 215.67 points (0.45%) from the previous session; the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 fell 23.89 points (0.35%) to 6,846.51; and the Nasdaq composite lost 32.22 points (0.14%) to close at 23,545.90.
The FOMC will hold its final regular meeting of the year over two days starting on the 9th. Markets see a 25-basis-point rate cut as the most likely outcome of this meeting.
Meanwhile, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar rate opened at 1,469.2 won, up 2.3 won from the previous session.