On July 31, the KOSPI opened higher after the announcement of a trade agreement between South Korea and the United States but remained range-bound around the 3,260 level amid profit-taking and limited upside momentum.
As of 9:30 a.m., the KOSPI was trading at 3,262.26, up 7.79 points (0.24%) from the previous close. The index opened at 3,275.78, gaining 21.31 points (0.65%), briefly turned negative, but soon rebounded into positive territory.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the Korean won opened at 1,390.0 per dollar, up 6.9 won from the previous session.
In the main bourse, individual and foreign investors were net buyers of 214.9 billion won and 7.9 billion won, respectively, while institutional investors sold a net 241.5 billion won. Foreign investors, however, showed net selling of 255.4 billion won in the KOSPI 200 futures market.
The domestic market initially reacted positively to the news of the tariff deal but saw gains moderate during early trading. Before the market opened, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that South Korea had agreed to invest 350 billion dollars (approximately 487 trillion won) in the United States in exchange for a reduction in reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods, from 25% to 15%.
While some analysts had anticipated a significant market rally, the muted response was attributed to the fact that expectations for the agreement had already been largely priced in during the KOSPI’s six-day winning streak prior to the announcement.
Seo Sang-young, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, commented, “The U.S.-Korea trade agreement is expected to have a positive impact on the Korean stock market. However, anticipation of a deal had already driven up shares, particularly among major export-oriented sectors.”
Investors are closely monitoring the detailed terms of the agreement and their potential implications across sectors. Meanwhile, the stronger won and a mixed performance on Wall Street overnight—following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady and Chair Jerome Powell’s cautious stance on tariff policy—are also weighing on sentiment.
Among large-cap stocks, SK Hynix (000660) rose 2.09%, LG Energy Solution (373220) gained 0.89%, and Hanwha Aerospace (012450) edged up 0.41%.
Shipbuilding stocks advanced sharply on reports that 150 billion dollars of the total 350 billion-dollar fund will be allocated to maritime cooperation. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) rose 4.56%, while Hanwha Ocean (042660) surged 8.59%.
In contrast, Samsung Electronics (005930) fell 0.14% after its semiconductor division reported its lowest quarterly operating profit in six quarters.
Automobile stocks were also weaker, with Hyundai Motor (005380) down 1.79% and Kia (000270) down 2.81%. Financial stocks, including KB Financial Group (105560) and Shinhan Financial Group (055550), declined 0.98% and 0.73%, respectively.
By sector, retail (-1.87%), utilities (-1.69%), and medical precision (-1.17%) fell, while entertainment & leisure (1.25%) and transportation & storage (0.35%) posted gains.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ rose 3.00 points (0.37%) to 806.67. The index opened at 806.21, up 2.54 points (0.32%), briefly turned lower, but later recovered.
In the KOSDAQ market, retail investors were net buyers of 50.9 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors sold a net 33.4 billion won and 14.6 billion won, respectively.
Battery-related stocks such as EcoPro BM (247540) and EcoPro (086520) rose 0.35% and 0.20%, respectively. Biotech names including Alteogen (196170), Peptron (087010), and PharmaResearch (214450) also traded higher.
On the downside, HLB (028300), Rainbow Robotics (277810), Samchundang Pharm (000250), and LigaChem Biosciences (141080) posted losses.
On July 31, the KOSPI opened higher after the announcement of a trade agreement between South Korea and the United States but remained range-bound around the 3,260 level amid profit-taking and limited upside momentum.
As of 9:30 a.m., the KOSPI was trading at 3,262.26, up 7.79 points (0.24%) from the previous close. The index opened at 3,275.78, gaining 21.31 points (0.65%), briefly turned negative, but soon rebounded into positive territory.
In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the Korean won opened at 1,390.0 per dollar, up 6.9 won from the previous session.
In the main bourse, individual and foreign investors were net buyers of 214.9 billion won and 7.9 billion won, respectively, while institutional investors sold a net 241.5 billion won. Foreign investors, however, showed net selling of 255.4 billion won in the KOSPI 200 futures market.
The domestic market initially reacted positively to the news of the tariff deal but saw gains moderate during early trading. Before the market opened, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that South Korea had agreed to invest 350 billion dollars (approximately 487 trillion won) in the United States in exchange for a reduction in reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods, from 25% to 15%.
While some analysts had anticipated a significant market rally, the muted response was attributed to the fact that expectations for the agreement had already been largely priced in during the KOSPI’s six-day winning streak prior to the announcement.
Seo Sang-young, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, commented, “The U.S.-Korea trade agreement is expected to have a positive impact on the Korean stock market. However, anticipation of a deal had already driven up shares, particularly among major export-oriented sectors.”
Investors are closely monitoring the detailed terms of the agreement and their potential implications across sectors. Meanwhile, the stronger won and a mixed performance on Wall Street overnight—following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady and Chair Jerome Powell’s cautious stance on tariff policy—are also weighing on sentiment.
Among large-cap stocks, SK Hynix (000660) rose 2.09%, LG Energy Solution (373220) gained 0.89%, and Hanwha Aerospace (012450) edged up 0.41%.
Shipbuilding stocks advanced sharply on reports that 150 billion dollars of the total 350 billion-dollar fund will be allocated to maritime cooperation. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) rose 4.56%, while Hanwha Ocean (042660) surged 8.59%.
In contrast, Samsung Electronics (005930) fell 0.14% after its semiconductor division reported its lowest quarterly operating profit in six quarters.
Automobile stocks were also weaker, with Hyundai Motor (005380) down 1.79% and Kia (000270) down 2.81%. Financial stocks, including KB Financial Group (105560) and Shinhan Financial Group (055550), declined 0.98% and 0.73%, respectively.
By sector, retail (-1.87%), utilities (-1.69%), and medical precision (-1.17%) fell, while entertainment & leisure (1.25%) and transportation & storage (0.35%) posted gains.
At the same time, the KOSDAQ rose 3.00 points (0.37%) to 806.67. The index opened at 806.21, up 2.54 points (0.32%), briefly turned lower, but later recovered.
In the KOSDAQ market, retail investors were net buyers of 50.9 billion won, while foreign and institutional investors sold a net 33.4 billion won and 14.6 billion won, respectively.
Battery-related stocks such as EcoPro BM (247540) and EcoPro (086520) rose 0.35% and 0.20%, respectively. Biotech names including Alteogen (196170), Peptron (087010), and PharmaResearch (214450) also traded higher.
On the downside, HLB (028300), Rainbow Robotics (277810), Samchundang Pharm (000250), and LigaChem Biosciences (141080) posted losses.