The KOSPI surged in early trading today (the 13th), extending its winning streak to a fourth consecutive day.

As of 9:25 a.m. today, the KOSPI stood at 6,838.99, up 259.95 points (3.95%).

The index opened at 6,773.92, up 194.88 points (2.96%), and at one point jumped 4.81% to near the 6,900 mark.

Foreigners and institutions net bought 520 billion won and 300 billion won, respectively.

Individuals remained net sellers for a third consecutive trading session, with sales reaching around 830 billion won.

In the KOSPI 200 futures market, only institutions were net sellers at 400 billion won, while foreigners and individuals net bought 300 billion won and 100 billion won, respectively.

Risk-on sentiment appears to be strengthening as expectations for a U.S. benchmark interest rate hike diminished further overnight, alongside growing anticipation for investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today, the U.S. consumer price index for July rose 3.4% from the same month last year.

The growth rate slowed compared to the previous month (3.5%) and met market forecasts.

The core consumer price index, which excludes energy and food, also increased 2.5% year-on-year, slowing down from June (2.6%).

According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the U.S. interest rate futures market projected a 60% probability that the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve, will freeze interest rates at its Federal Open Market Committee meeting in September following this announcement.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly lower by 0.04%, which is analyzed to be due to profit-taking following recent record highs.

Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index and the Nasdaq Index rose 0.26% and 0.54%, respectively.

Amid these trends, artificial intelligence cloud company CoreWeave and server manufacturer Super Micro Computer, which both posted earnings surprises the previous day, skyrocketed by nearly 20% each, while memory chip maker Micron Technology rose 4.92% and SK hynix American Depositary Receipts climbed 9.01%.

Currently, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are up 5% and 8%, respectively.

Among top market-cap stocks, all except Samsung Biologics (-0.54%), which was trading slightly lower, were on the rise.

In particular, SK Square and Samsung Electro-Mechanics were each up 10%, while Hyundai Motor (4.40%), Samsung Life Insurance (4.96%), Hanwha Aerospace (5.12%), and Samsung C&T (5.31%) also showed strong gains.

For Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the gains appear to reflect news that Morgan Stanley selected it as a top pick the previous day and raised its target price from 2.56 million won to 2.62 million won.

By sector, electrical and electronics (5.90%) and securities (5.82%) posted significant gains.

Manufacturing (5.06%), finance (4.75%), and insurance (4.58%) ranked near the top, while a few sectors such as electric utilities (-2.75%) and entertainment and culture (0.36%) declined.

At the same time, the KOSDAQ stood at 859.01, down 0.10 points (0.01%).

The index opened at 863.15, up 4.24 points (0.49%), and hovered around the flat line amid fluctuations, rising up to 1.25% before dropping 0.68%.

Individuals purchased 180 billion won, while foreigners and institutions offloaded 120 billion won and 60 billion won, respectively.

Among top market-cap stocks, the strength of semiconductor components and materials (so-bu-jang) stood out.

원익IPS (Wonik IPS) rose 6.37%, and EO Technics gained around 3%.

However, top-ranked Alteogen fell by 1%, while EcoPro, EcoPro BM, and Rainbow Robotics remained in weak flat territory.

(Photo: Yonhap News)