The KOSPI index, which opened higher on the back of the previous day's U.S.-Iran cease-fire agreement and a higher close on Wall Street, is showing slight weakness in early trading.
On the 16th, the KOSPI index was at 8,694.30 as of 11:20 a.m., up 147.42 points (1.73%) from the previous trading day.
After opening at 8,696.55, up 150.57 points (1.76%) from the previous trading day, the KOSPI briefly turned lower around 10 a.m. to 8,544.62, down 1.36 points (0.02%) from the previous trading day. It then widened its gains to more than 1% and is moving up and down in the 8,600–8,700 range.
In the main board, foreigners and institutions are net buyers together. Foreigners are net buying 150 billion won and institutions 270 billion won, while individuals are net selling 400 billion won.
The KOSDAQ index was at 1,019.16 as of 11:20 a.m., down 14.87 points (1.44%) from the previous trading day. After opening at 1,039.00, up 4.97 points (0.48%) from the previous trading day, the KOSDAQ turned lower early in the session and is extending losses.
In the KOSDAQ market, foreigners and institutions are showing a selling bias together. Foreigners and institutions are net selling 300 billion won and 210 billion won, respectively. Individuals are net buying 550 billion won, but are failing to prevent the index from falling.
With U.S. stocks broadly closing higher the previous day, investor sentiment appears to be recovering in the domestic market as geopolitical risks in the Middle East ease.
U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) electronically on the previous day, when they released the cease-fire deal.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.92% from the previous session to a record high. The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 gained 1.66%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 3.07%.
Among heavyweight stocks by market capitalization, Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics are edging higher. In contrast, Hyundai Motor, LG Energy Solution, Samsung C&T, HD Hyundai Electric, and LG Electronics are slightly weaker.