Samsung Electronics(005930)'s conference call also failed to lift KOSPI. As Samsung Electronics said it expects a memory supply shortage to continue through 2028, KOSPI in intraday trading came close to the 6,000 level, but as a spike in U.S. Government Bonds yields and Middle East geopolitical risks again dented investor sentiment, it ended trading at the 5,500 level.
On the 30th, the KOSPI index closed at 5,593.56, down 69.68 (1.23%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 5,681.77 and repeatedly rose and fell around the 5,600 level before surging to as high as 5,976.82 in intraday trading, starting with Samsung Electronics' 10 a.m. conference call. However, as external negatives came to the fore afterward, it turned lower and ultimately slid to the 5,500 level.
On the supply-demand side, individuals led the decline by net selling 1.4199 trillion won. Foreigners and institutions net bought 1.3299 trillion won and 66.6 billion won, respectively. It was the first time in four trading days that foreigners returned to net buying.
Samsung Electronics(005930) jumped more than 8% intraday on strong second-quarter results and expectations for an improvement in the memory cycle, but it gave up all gains and closed slightly lower. SK hynix(000660) has been weak for a second day, affected by results that slightly missed market expectations.
Kim Jae-jun, head of memory strategic marketing at Samsung Electronics, said, "Along with the accelerated spread of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) related to memory supply and demand, token demand is soaring explosively," and noted, "The supply shortage in 2027 will deepen further compared with this year, and the shortage will continue into 2028."
The market reacted more sensitively to external negatives than to Samsung Electronics' positive industry outlook. The U.S. Central Bank (Fed) kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.50%–3.75% but maintained a hawkish stance. As a result, the U.S. 30-year Government Bonds yield rose 10.5 bp (1 bp = 0.01 percentage point) in a day to 5.201%, and it spiked to as high as 5.244% intraday, hitting the highest level since 2007, just before the global financial crisis.
International oil prices also jumped as the United States carried out another airstrike on Iran after five days. September Brent crude futures rose 2.29% to $92 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained 1.42% to around $85 a barrel, where they were transacted.
Lee Kyung-min, a researcher at Daishin Securities, said, "It is estimated that supply-demand volatility centered on the semiconductor sector has not yet subsided," and assessed, "The domestic stock market turned weak again and gave back gains."
However, stocks whose second-quarter results beat market expectations showed strength. LG Energy Solution(373220) successfully swung to a profit and rose more than 6%, and shipbuilding stocks such as HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering(009540), Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean also gained on the back of an increase in orders for high value-added vessels.
The KOSDAQ index closed at 644.78, down 17.90 points (2.70%) from the previous trading day. Individuals and institutions net sold 110.5 billion won and 143.7 billion won, respectively, while foreigners net bought 248.5 billion won. As expectations for earnings improvement in the secondary battery sector continued, EcoPro(086520) and EcoPro BM each rose around 4%.
Meanwhile, starting tomorrow, the deposit requirement for single-stock leveraged products will be raised to 30 million won from the current 10 million won. The market is watching to see whether this measure will help ease volatility in the stock market.