The KOSPI opened higher today (the 24th), shaking off the sharp decline from the previous trading day.

The KOSPI started at 8,356.79, up 152.95 points or 1.86% from the previous trading day, and has since expanded its gains.

The index even climbed as high as 8,577.52 during intraday trading.

In the KOSPI market, individual investors and institutions are driving the index, net buying approximately 450 billion won and 220 billion won worth of shares, respectively.

Conversely, foreign investors are net selling over 700 billion won.

In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,534.9 won, down 4.2 won from the previous trading day.

The KOSPI opened higher as bargain hunting, led by individual investors, flowed in despite the decline in U.S. tech stocks.

Overnight in the U.S. stock market, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell 2.22%, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 7.6%.

By stock, major semiconductor companies saw their share prices fall across the board, including Micron (-13.2%), which is awaiting its earnings report, as well as Qualcomm (-8.0%), Intel (-6.1%), and AMD (-6.0%).

This was due to concerns over AI-related valuation burdens and caution regarding market highs.

However, the KOSPI is trending upward today as bargain-hunting buying, particularly in semiconductor stocks, has entered the market following yesterday's near-10% plunge.

The KOSDAQ opened at 905.13, up 13.61 points or 1.53% from the previous session, and has been showing a gain of around 1%.

(Photo: Yonhap News)