▲ The KOSPI and other market indicators are displayed on the electronic board at the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 13th.
The KOSPI and KSDAC both closed higher for the fourth consecutive day today (the 13th).
On this day, the KOSPI finished up 234.30 points at 6,813.34.
Marking its fourth straight day of gains, the index rose 8.8% over this period.
The index opened up 194.88 points at 6,773.92 and briefly surged near the 6,900 mark, but trimmed its gains ahead of the market close.
Foreigners and institutions net bought 2.1196 trillion won and 681.2 billion won, respectively, while individuals net sold 2.734 trillion won.
In the KOSPI 200 futures market, only foreigners were net sellers at 344.3 billion won, while institutions and individuals were net buyers at 176.5 billion won and 183.1 billion won, respectively.
At around 3:30 p.m. today in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar exchange rate closed up 3.7 won from the previous session at 1,419.4 won.
While expectations for a U.S. benchmark interest rate hike have eased somewhat, investment sentiment appears to be strengthening, centered around artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on this day, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July rose 3.4% compared to the same month last year.
The growth rate slowed compared to the previous month and met market expectations.
As a result, the market believes that the likelihood of the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in September has decreased further.
However, the market is also awaiting the Producer Price Index (PPI) to be released this evening.
This is due to concerns that if prices at the production stage show an increase, it could spill over into the future Consumer Price Index.
Expectations for AI infrastructure investment continue to push the index higher.
Boosted by strong earnings from U.S. AI infrastructure stocks, overnight New York stock market surges of 20% each for CoreWeave and server manufacturer Super Micro Computer, along with gains in memory companies such as Micron Technology, SK hynix's American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), and SanDisk, also had an impact.
Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, stated that while there is a possibility of a rebound in energy prices due to renewed unrest in the Middle East, the overall downward trend in inflation has been confirmed.
He also explained that the favorable tailwind from U.S. semiconductors has spread to the domestic semiconductor sector, leading to strength across both large-cap chipmakers and components, parts, and equipment (supplies) providers.
Samsung Electronics finished up 4.89% at 268,000 won, and SK hynix closed up 5.92% at 1,593,000 won.
Most other top market-cap stocks rose.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics, selected as Morgan Stanley's top pick, jumped 12.58%, while SK Square, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Aerospace, and Samsung C&T also advanced.
By sector, electrical and electronics posted the highest gains, followed by manufacturing, IT services, finance, and metals, while electricity and gas declined sharply.
Entertainment and culture, insurance, and non-metals followed with declines.
The KOSDAQ opened up 4.24 points at 863.15 and closed up 2.46 points at 861.37.
This also marks a four-day winning streak.
Individual investors net bought 257.4 billion won.
Meanwhile, foreigners and institutions net sold 137.8 billion won and 116.0 billion won, respectively.
Among top market-cap stocks, semiconductor parts, components, and equipment stocks such as Jusung Engineering, Wonik IPS, and HPSP showed noticeable gains.
Trading values for the main Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and KOSDAQ markets were tallied at 34.7312 trillion won and 7.5345 trillion won, respectively.
Trading volume for the pre-market and main market of alternative trading system Nextrade totaled 15.9924 trillion won.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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