The benchmark KOSPI advanced 0.68% on Tuesday to close at 6,743, rebounding from the previous session as both retail and institutional investors returned to Korean equities. Performance among large-cap stocks was mixed: SK hynix gained 0.42%, Hyundai Motor climbed 1.69%, KB Financial Group rose 2.02%, and Kia Corporation added 2.59%, while Samsung Electronics ended unchanged. In contrast, SK Square fell 1.49% and LG Energy Solution declined 3.45%.
Market participants focused on Nvidia’s upcoming earnings release for guidance on the outlook for AI-related investments, even as lingering doubts about the profitability of AI spending continued to pressure technology shares. Foreign investors remained net sellers, unloading KRW 3.82 trillion worth of Korean stocks, while individual investors and institutions were net buyers, purchasing KRW 1.0 trillion and KRW 1.17 trillion, respectively.
Overall sentiment was restrained by ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty surrounding the US monetary policy trajectory ahead of Fed Governor Kevin Warsh’s scheduled remarks at the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday.
