[Market Opening] South Korea's KOSPI opens lower at the start of the new year... Profit-taking causes fluctuations around 4500 points

Source: BlockMedia Original Title: [Market Opening] KOSPI Starts with Decline Amid New Year Record Rally… Fluctuates Around 4500 on Profit-Taking Original Link: Amid the KOSPI index reaching a new annual high, it opened weakly on the 9th. Investors adopted a wait-and-see stance ahead of the release of major U.S. benchmark interest rate-related economic data, while semiconductor stocks experienced profit-taking sell-offs, hindering the rally.

According to Korea Exchange data, at 9:20 AM, the KOSPI index fell 50.24 points (1.13%) from the previous trading day, closing at 4501.01 points. The index opened at 4530.03 points, down 22.34 points (0.49%) from the previous day’s close of 4552.37 points. The decline then widened, briefly dropping over 1%.

U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls and Other Data Released, Mixed Market Expectations and Adjustments

The KOSPI had previously hit a new high for five consecutive trading days. After breaking 4300 points for the first time on January 2, it surpassed 4400 on the 5th, 4500 on the 6th, and then touched 4550. Although the gains narrowed afterward, it reached new highs of 4551 and 4552 on the 7th and 8th, respectively.

A researcher from a securities firm stated, “U.S. stocks closed mixed over the past two trading days. Expectations for Q4 GDP growth exceeding 5%, rising consumer inflation expectations from the New York Federal Reserve, and other factors have led to rising U.S. interest rates, which pressured growth stocks.” The researcher added, “Tonight, the release of the highly significant December U.S. non-farm payrolls data is imminent. The domestic stock market may adjust today ahead of the statistical data announced after the exchange closes.”

In the securities market, individual investors bought 72.12 billion KRW, and institutions bought 4.88 billion KRW. However, foreign investors sold 78.03 billion KRW, leading to a decline in the index.

Samsung Electronics “Unexpected Earnings” Followed by Continuous Decline… SK Hynix Also Down Over 2%

By industry, performance was mixed. Transportation equipment parts (+1.89%), construction (+1.63%), and other sectors performed strongly, while circulation (-1.05%) and medical precision equipment (-0.97%) underperformed.

The top 10 market cap stocks showed mixed results. Samsung Electronics, which announced preliminary Q4 earnings the day before, continued to decline, falling 1.87% to 136,200 KRW. Another major semiconductor stock, SK Hynix, dropped 2.12% to 740,000 KRW. SK Square also fell 2.67%. In contrast, LG Energy Solution (+0.82%), Hyundai Motor (+1.17%), and Hanwha Aerospace (+7.16%) performed strongly.

Samsung Electronics’ preliminary Q4 earnings released today showed sales of 93 trillion KRW and operating profit of 20 trillion KRW. Sales increased 22.71% from the same quarter last year (75.79 trillion KRW), and operating profit surged 208.17% from 6.49 trillion KRW. Both figures exceeded historical records—sales (Q3 2025: 86.06 trillion KRW) and operating profit (Q3 2018: 17.57 trillion KRW).

A researcher commented, “Samsung Electronics’ preliminary Q4 earnings released the day before exceeded market consensus, creating a surprise. However, since the stock price has risen nearly 20% since the beginning of the year, intense supply and demand battles during trading led to a final decline at close. This appears to be a combination of high expectations adjustment and dispersive effects causing stock price volatility.”

KOSDAQ Index Declines Under Foreign and Institutional Buying… Opening at 1453 KRW Exchange Rate

Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ index fell 4.10 points (0.43%) to 939.96 points from the previous trading day. It opened at 944.74 points, up 0.68 points (0.07%) from the previous day’s close of 944.06 points.

From a supply and demand perspective, similar to KOSPI, individual and foreign investors continued buying. Net purchases by individuals totaled 8.77 billion KRW, institutions bought 1.76 billion KRW, while foreign investors sold 10.31 billion KRW, pulling the index down.

Performance by industry was mixed. Metals (+1.22%), medical precision equipment (+1.12%), and others rose, while non-metals (-1.92%) and machinery (-0.40%) declined.

Top market cap stocks on KOSDAQ also showed mixed movements. Alteogen (+3.45%), EcoPro (+1.20%), Rigakembiopharm (+0.54%) rose, while ABL Bio (-2.09%), SamcheonDang Pharma (-2.24%), EcoPro BM (-0.75%) fell.

Additionally, in the Seoul foreign exchange market, the KRW/USD exchange rate opened at 1453.8 KRW, up 3.2 KRW from the previous trading day’s close of 1450.6 KRW.