On Wednesday, the benchmark KOSPI index experienced a decline of 0.34%, settling around 4,677. This drop followed record highs and was influenced by weaker performance in the US markets, coupled with less encouraging domestic economic data. On Wall Street, the Dow and S&P 500 indices also retreated from their historical peaks, primarily impacted by declines in financial stocks.
Investors were additionally influenced by economic reports indicating that South Korea's employment growth in 2025 remained subdued. Employment figures hovered around 100,000 for the second year in a row, with a modest increase of 193,000 jobs or 0.7%, bringing the total employment to 28.77 million. Inflation pressures persisted as well, with import prices rising for the sixth consecutive month in December. They increased by 0.7% from November and 0.3% compared to the same period the previous year, driven in large part by a weaker won, despite declines in global oil prices.
Companies that saw significant losses included LG Energy Solution, which fell by 1.02%, Hyundai Motor, down by 0.37%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, which decreased by 1.24%, and Celltrion and Hanwha Ocean, which saw declines of 2.04% and 2.54%, respectively.
