On July 31, the KOSPI, which opened higher following relief over a tariff agreement between South Korea and the United States, reversed course into negative territory as institutional investors expanded their sell-off.
As of 1:28 p.m., the KOSPI was trading at 3,238.56, down 15.91 points or 0.49% from the previous session. The index had opened at 3,275.78, up 21.31 points or 0.65%, but turned lower by midday amid mixed performance in shipbuilding and automobile stocks.
In the main board, retail investors were net buyers of 350.3 billion won, and foreign investors also purchased 167.7 billion won worth of shares. Institutions, however, were net sellers of 613.3 billion won, expanding their selling position steadily throughout the morning after starting with around 140 billion won in net sales.
By sector, shipbuilding stocks surged over 7%, boosted by the announcement of a 150 billion-dollar shipbuilding cooperation fund included in the U.S.–South Korea tariff pact. Entertainment and culture gained more than 2%, while machinery & equipment, non-metallic minerals, construction, and paper & wood sectors rose by over 1%.
Transport equipment & parts, food & beverages, textiles & apparel, general services, and securities traded slightly higher, whereas IT services, finance, real estate, manufacturing, transport & logistics, electronics, and gas were mildly weaker. Metals, insurance, chemicals, and medical precision instruments declined around 1%, while pharmaceuticals and retail stocks dropped by more than 2%.
Among large-cap stocks, shipbuilding shares showed notable gains. Hanwha Ocean (042660) jumped over 14%, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) rose more than 8%. SK hynix (000660) climbed over 2%, and Doosan Enerbility (034020) advanced by around 1%. Hanwha Aerospace (012450) remained firm following strong second-quarter results. NAVER (035420) was flat, while Celltrion (068270), Shinhan Financial Group (055550), KB Financial Group (105560), and Samsung Electronics (005930) posted modest losses. LG Energy Solution (373220) and Samsung Biologics (207940) both declined more than 3%. Shares of Hyundai Motor (005380) and Kia (000270) dropped 4% and 6%, respectively, on investor disappointment over the 15% tariff rate imposed on automobiles.
The KOSDAQ was also weaker, falling 2.42 points or 0.30% to 801.25. Retail and foreign investors recorded net purchases of 36.9 billion won and 7.4 billion won, respectively, while institutions sold a net 31.4 billion won.
On the KOSDAQ, entertainment & culture surged over 4%, textiles & apparel added more than 3%, and other manufacturing and retail gained over 1%. Publishing & media, medical precision equipment, food & beverages, and IT services traded slightly higher. Pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment & parts, construction, manufacturing, general services, chemicals, telecommunications, and machinery & equipment were mildly lower. Financials, electronics, and non-metallic minerals declined around 1%, while paper & wood lost over 2%.
Among top performers, Silicon Two (ticker uns087010pecified) rose more than 3%, while Classys (214150), Peptron (087010), and LIG Nex1 (079550) gained over 1%. Hugel (145020) and PharmaResearch (214450) were marginally higher, while ABL Bio (298380) traded slightly lower. Declining stocks included Alteogen (196170), HLB (028300), Rainbow Robotics (277810), LigaChem Biosciences (141080), Ecopro (086520), Ecopro BM (247540), and Samchundang Pharm (000250), with losses ranging from 1% to 4%.
On July 31, the KOSPI, which opened higher following relief over a tariff agreement between South Korea and the United States, reversed course into negative territory as institutional investors expanded their sell-off.
As of 1:28 p.m., the KOSPI was trading at 3,238.56, down 15.91 points or 0.49% from the previous session. The index had opened at 3,275.78, up 21.31 points or 0.65%, but turned lower by midday amid mixed performance in shipbuilding and automobile stocks.
In the main board, retail investors were net buyers of 350.3 billion won, and foreign investors also purchased 167.7 billion won worth of shares. Institutions, however, were net sellers of 613.3 billion won, expanding their selling position steadily throughout the morning after starting with around 140 billion won in net sales.
By sector, shipbuilding stocks surged over 7%, boosted by the announcement of a 150 billion-dollar shipbuilding cooperation fund included in the U.S.–South Korea tariff pact. Entertainment and culture gained more than 2%, while machinery & equipment, non-metallic minerals, construction, and paper & wood sectors rose by over 1%.
Transport equipment & parts, food & beverages, textiles & apparel, general services, and securities traded slightly higher, whereas IT services, finance, real estate, manufacturing, transport & logistics, electronics, and gas were mildly weaker. Metals, insurance, chemicals, and medical precision instruments declined around 1%, while pharmaceuticals and retail stocks dropped by more than 2%.
Among large-cap stocks, shipbuilding shares showed notable gains. Hanwha Ocean (042660) jumped over 14%, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) rose more than 8%. SK hynix (000660) climbed over 2%, and Doosan Enerbility (034020) advanced by around 1%. Hanwha Aerospace (012450) remained firm following strong second-quarter results. NAVER (035420) was flat, while Celltrion (068270), Shinhan Financial Group (055550), KB Financial Group (105560), and Samsung Electronics (005930) posted modest losses. LG Energy Solution (373220) and Samsung Biologics (207940) both declined more than 3%. Shares of Hyundai Motor (005380) and Kia (000270) dropped 4% and 6%, respectively, on investor disappointment over the 15% tariff rate imposed on automobiles.
The KOSDAQ was also weaker, falling 2.42 points or 0.30% to 801.25. Retail and foreign investors recorded net purchases of 36.9 billion won and 7.4 billion won, respectively, while institutions sold a net 31.4 billion won.
On the KOSDAQ, entertainment & culture surged over 4%, textiles & apparel added more than 3%, and other manufacturing and retail gained over 1%. Publishing & media, medical precision equipment, food & beverages, and IT services traded slightly higher. Pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment & parts, construction, manufacturing, general services, chemicals, telecommunications, and machinery & equipment were mildly lower. Financials, electronics, and non-metallic minerals declined around 1%, while paper & wood lost over 2%.
Among top performers, Silicon Two (ticker uns087010pecified) rose more than 3%, while Classys (214150), Peptron (087010), and LIG Nex1 (079550) gained over 1%. Hugel (145020) and PharmaResearch (214450) were marginally higher, while ABL Bio (298380) traded slightly lower. Declining stocks included Alteogen (196170), HLB (028300), Rainbow Robotics (277810), LigaChem Biosciences (141080), Ecopro (086520), Ecopro BM (247540), and Samchundang Pharm (000250), with losses ranging from 1% to 4%.