On the 15th, the KOSPI index was hovering around the 4,740 level with slight gains despite overnight weakness in U.S. stocks.
As of 9:10 a.m. that day, the KOSPI index was at 4,739.80, up 16.7 points (0.35%) from the previous session. The KOSPI opened at 4,710.28, down 12.82 points (0.27%) from the previous session, but quickly turned higher.
In the main board, individual investors alone turned net buyers of 70 billion won. Foreign investors and institutions were net sellers of 40 billion won and 30 billion won, respectively.
Top market-cap stocks were mixed. Samsung Electronics (-0.29%), SK hynix (-1.08%), and Hyundai Motor (-0.97%) were weak. In contrast, LG Energy Solution (0.77%), Hanwha Aerospace (2.21%), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (3.58%) were trading higher than the day before.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ index was down 2.05 points (0.22%) at 940.13 from the previous session. The KOSDAQ opened at 940.66, down 1.52 points (0.16%) from the previous session.
On the KOSDAQ, individuals were net buyers of 30 billion won. Foreign investors and institutions were net sellers by 24 billion won and 1 billion won, respectively.
Top KOSDAQ market-cap stocks were mixed. Alteogen (0.32%), ABL Bio (0.47%), and Sam Chun Dang Pharm (3.98%) were gaining. In contrast, ECOPRO BM (-0.33%) and HLB (-0.57%) were struggling.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market that day, the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,465 won per $1, down 12.5 won from the previous session's close.
On Wall Street overnight, tech and financial shares fell together, dragging all three major indexes lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.09%, and the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.53% and 1%, respectively.
Investor sentiment weakened in semiconductor stocks after reports that Chinese authorities ordered a halt to customs clearance for Nvidia's artificial intelligence (AI) chips, which had recently resumed exports to China. Adding to the pressure, November's producer price index (PPI) and retail sales beat market expectations, damping hopes for an early rate cut.
Meanwhile, the won-dollar rate slipping back into the 1,460-won range following verbal intervention by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is a variable. Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said, "A key point to watch is that the exchange rate plunged more than 10 won overnight. We need to see how the sharp drop in the exchange rate changes foreign investors' trading patterns."