Sector Leaders & Laggards
Gaining Sectors
Marine Transportation+6.14%
Internet & Catalog Retail+2.97%
Property & Casualty Insurance+2.32%
Declining Sectors
Health Care Providers & Services-8.21%
Health Care Technology-6.53%
Electronic Equipment & Instruments-6.20%
79 sectors · 12 up · 0 flat · 67 down · advancing sectors fell by 48 from 60 the prior session
Internet & Catalog Retail +2.97% · 1 up and 5 down among 6 stocks Market-cap weighted Sector indexes weight stocks in proportion to market cap · larger stocks exert more influence · Sector-index direction diverged from the stock count
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment -0.93% · Ranked 21st of 79 sectors · among 171 stocks, 52 up, 6 flat, 113 down
Sector Read
01Only twelve sectors remained positive
Names left on the positive side· Sector · Theme · Stock classification shown explicitly
| Name | Category | Change |
|---|
| Shipping | Theme | +8.91% |
| HMM | Stock | +6.59% |
| Marine Transportation | Sector | +6.14% |
| Oil & Gas | Sector | +1.87% |
| LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) | Theme | +1.87% |
Aug. 17 · U.S.–Iran 60-day negotiation deadline expired · WTI $84.50(+2.55%) · Brent $90.87
Marine Transportation · 6 up, 5 down among 11 stocks · No. 1 of 79 sectors
HMM · No. 1 institutional net buy +KRW41.8bn · No. 2 retail net sell -KRW48.1bnForeign +KRW6.4bn · Institutions were the largest buyer among the three investor groups
Life Insurance +2.81% · Property & Casualty Insurance +2.32% · Samsung Life Insurance +3.16%Moved in the same direction as rising U.S. long-term yields
The twelve gaining sectors were concentrated in shipping, insurance, refining and telecom
Gaining sectors were concentrated in shipping, energy and insurance
Middle East risk and long-term yields moved on the same day, and the sectors that gained clustered around those exposures
02The semiconductor sector held up, but only 52 stocks advanced
The ranking within semiconductors· Sector · Theme · Stock classification shown explicitly
| Name | Category | Change |
|---|
| SK Hynix | Stock | +1.03% |
| Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment | Sector | -0.93% |
| S7 A thematic basket grouping seven large-cap semiconductor stocks, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix(Large-Cap Semiconductors) | Theme | -1.56% |
| HBM High Bandwidth Memory · stacked architecture widens data pathways · used in AI servers | Theme | -1.62% |
| Samsung Electronics | Stock | -2.19% |
| MLCC Multilayer ceramic capacitor · component that smooths current in electronic devices · a core Samsung Electro-Mechanics product | Theme | -7.21% |
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment -0.93% · Ranked 21st of 79 sectors · fell less than the KOSPI
Among 171 stocks: 52 up · 6 flat · 113 down · advancers fell by 34 from 86 the prior session
SK Hynix +1.03% · Fifth straight gain · intraday high KRW1,792,000 No. 1 foreign net-buy stock +KRW790.9bn · No. 1 retail net sell -KRW646.2bn
Samsung Electronics -2.19% · First decline in five sessions · fell KRW19,500 from the intraday high of KRW288,000 to the close Opened at KRW283,000 (+3.10%)
Samsung Electro-Mechanics -7.57% · MLCC theme -7.21%, last among 219 themes After gains of +12.58% on Aug. 13 and +3.66% on Aug. 14, it reversed in the next session.
Materials, Parts & Equipment Materials, Parts & Equipment · suppliers of materials and equipment to major semiconductor producers group · semiconductor equipment -0.75% · semiconductor materials/parts -1.36%Fell less than the large-cap theme · opposite to Aug. 14
Large-cap memory and components moved in opposite directions
SK Hynix was the main support for the sector index
03The prior session's leaders all retreated
One session after Aug. 14's top sectors· All sector-weighted values
| Sector | 08.14 | 08.18 |
|---|
| Oil & Gas | +5.84% | +1.87% |
| Wireless Telecom Services | +8.49% | -0.74% |
| Automobiles | +6.20% | -3.60% |
| Auto Parts | +5.25% | -4.11% |
| Electronic Equipment & Instruments | +3.58% | -6.20% |
Of Aug. 14's top four sectors, Oil & Gas was the only one still up today
Wireless Telecom Services -0.74% · Among 4 stocks: 0 up · 1 flat · 3 down No. 1 of 79 sectors the prior session · SK Telecom ranked No. 2 in institutional net buying +KRW34.8bn
Automobiles -3.60% · Hyundai Motor -3.97% · No. 3 foreign net sell -KRW82bnPrior session +8.24% The session after the surge
Electronic Equipment & Instruments -6.20% · Ranked 77th of 79 sectors · among 106 stocks, 18 up, 7 flat, 81 down
No. 1 sector by session · Aug. 12 Electronic Products · Aug. 13 Electronic Equipment & Instruments · Aug. 14 Wireless Telecom Services · Aug. 18 Marine Transportation
Most of the previous leaders retreated
The No. 1 sector changed in each of the last four sessions, with another new leader today
What to Watch Next Session
Next-Session Probability· Downside edge based on Korea-close signals
45:55 · not a quantitative forecast probability · relative weight of conditions observed at the 15:30 close
Upside Foreign cash +KRW91.4bn · fifth straight session of buying · 5-session cumulative +KRW8.12tnUSD/KRW reference rate 1,411.60 · down KRW5.70 from prior session · KRW strength aligns with foreign buyingAug. 17 SOX +1.64% · SK Hynix +1.03%, extending its winning streak to five sessions
Downside Institutional cash -KRW795.1bn · second straight session of selling · top three net sells were Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and SK HynixProgram Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move -KRW1.0705tn · non-arbitrage -KRW1.0887tn · turned back to selling after one dayBreadth 74.8% → 22.0% · advancing sectors and themes simultaneously shrank to 12 and 21U.S. July retail sales -0.6% · preliminary August Michigan sentiment 51.0 · both missed consensus by a wide marginU.S. 30Y 5.31% · WTI $84.50 · U.S.–Iran negotiation deadline expired
Variables Excluded from the Probability Foreign futures KOSPI200 futures net-buy amount · KRX derivatives data · value basis +KRW224.0bn · aligned with cash flow · however, futures buying on a sharp-down day can include hedge unwinds and arbitrage, so it is not treated as a rebound betRetail +KRW741.4bn · turned net buyer after four sessions of selling · classified as absorption of sell-side supplyAug. 18, 21:30 KST U.S. July import/export prices · Aug. 18 U.S. regular session · outcomes not yet knownCash–futures closing gap -3.75 · excluded as a directional signal because closing times differMSCI August index review · effective at the Aug. 31 close
Key Flow SignalsAt the Close
Foreign Cash+KRW 91.4bnFifth straight session of buying · size collapsed
Institutional Cash-KRW795.1bnSecond straight session of selling
SK Hynix+KRW790.9bnNo. 1 foreign buy · No. 1 retail sell
Samsung Electro-Mechanics-KRW418.7bnNo. 1 foreign sell · No. 1 retail buy
KOSPI Breadth22.0%Prior 74.8%
KOSDAQ Breadth21.9%Prior 52.7%
Next Confirmation Conditions
FlowsWhether foreign cash buying extends to six sessions · whether futures buying extends to two · whether institutional selling reaches three · continued institutional selling in large-cap semiconductors favors downside · a return of non-arbitrage program flow to buying favors upside
BreadthWhether breadth recovers to 40%· Whether semiconductor advancers re-expand from 52· Whether KOSDAQ 827.97 holds as support The key question in this phase is whether a sector held up by SK Hynix alone can broaden out
Price · VariablesWhether KOSPI holds above 6,788.78 on a closing basis · whether it recovers the prior close of 6,977.94 · U.S. July FOMC minutes at 03:00 KST on Aug. 20 · Middle East tensions and oil
Flows · Breadth Detail
Flow StructureKOSPI· Naver Finance investor-flow data
Retail+KRW741.4bn
Foreign+KRW 91.4bn
Institutions-KRW795.1bn
Data basis · investor-level totals = Naver Finance · stock-level = KRX · market scopes differ → no cross-aggregation or share calculations
Foreign · fifth straight session of buying · size fell to one-thirty-third of the prior session's +KRW3.0387tn
Institutions · second straight session of selling · amount narrowed from -KRW1.0298tn the prior session
Retail · ended four sessions of selling and turned net buyer · direction reversed from -KRW1.982tn the prior session
Cash buying and futures buying aligned for the first time in three sessions
KOSDAQ · Retail +KRW389.2bn · Foreign +KRW36.6bn · Institutions -KRW416.4bn · Institutions alone were net sellers
Retail absorbed roughly what institutions sold · read together with KRW29.64tn in turnover
Foreign futures KOSPI200 futures net-buy amount · KRX derivatives data · value basis+KRW224bn
Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move(KOSPI)-KRW1.0705tn
USD/KRW reference rate 15:30 Korea FX-market reference rate · prior 1,417.301,411.60 ▼5.70
Market Breadth Share of advancing stocks · gauge of how broadly gains and losses are distributed
KOSPI 200 / 911 = 22.0% Advancers 195·Limit-up 5·Unchanged 29·Decliners 682·Limit-down 0
KOSDAQ 380 / 1,737 = 21.9% Advancers 372·Limit-up 8·Unchanged 68·Decliners 1,288·Limit-down 1
vs. prior session · KOSPI 74.8% → 22.0% · KOSDAQ 52.7% → 21.9%
KOSPI decliners were 3.4 times advancers · the prior session, advancers were 3.3 times decliners
KOSPI 5 limit-ups · KOSDAQ 8 limit-ups · KOSDAQ 1 limit-down
Breadth in the two markets converged back to nearly the same level
Turnover KRX data
| Market | Turnover | vs. 5-Day Average |
|---|
| KOSPI | KRW 29.64tn | 115% |
| KOSDAQ | KRW8.05tn | 113% |
KOSPI turnover · 106% → 115% of the 5-day average · absolute amount KRW26.73tn → KRW29.64tn
KOSDAQ turnover · held at 113% of the 5-day average · KRW7.49tn → KRW8.05tn
Short Selling Sell borrowed shares → bet on a decline · turnover basis · KOSPI KRW1.99tn · 4.7% of combined KRX+NXT turnover · prior KRW1.54tn and 4.2%
Short selling · KOSDAQ KRW0.46tn · 4.8% on the same basis · prior KRW0.38tn and 4.2% Expanded in both markets · both were 4.2% the prior session
No. 1 short-selling turnover: SK Hynix KRW340.5bn (2.7%) · No. 2 Samsung Electronics KRW316.7bn (3.0%) Samsung Electronics ranked No. 1 the prior session at KRW376.1bn and 4.5%
Samsung Electro-Mechanics short-selling turnover KRW141.9bn · 5.6% share Expanded from KRW86.6bn and 3.6% the prior session · close -7.57%
Highest stock-level share: Lotte REIT 36.7% · Korea Aerospace Industries ranked 4th at 35.1% Down from 45.2% and No. 1 the prior session
Only one in five stocks advanced, while turnover and short selling both increased
Flows Over the Last 5 Sessions
Flows Over the Last 5 Sessions KOSPI· Naver Finance investor-flow data
08.18Retail+KRW0.74tnForeign+KRW0.09tnInstitutions-KRW0.8tn
Foreign buying extended to five sessions but collapsed from the KRW3tn range to below KRW100bn · institutions sold for a second session · retail turned buyer after four sessions of selling
08.14Retail-KRW1.98tnForeign+KRW3.04tnInstitutions-KRW1.03tn
Fourth straight session of foreign buying · largest amount of the four · institutions turned sellers after five sessions of buying
08.13Retail-KRW2.74tnForeign+KRW2.11tnInstitutions+KRW0.68tn
Foreign buying extended and concentrated in two large caps · fifth straight session of institutional buying · Samsung Electronics alone ranked No. 1 in institutional net selling
08.12Retail−KRW3.19tnForeign+KRW2.84tnInstitutions+KRW0.53tn
Foreign buying concentrated in five large-cap IT names · amount entered the KRW2tn range · fourth straight session of institutional buying · retail selling continued
08.11Retail−KRW0.07tnForeign+KRW0.04tnInstitutions+KRW0.03tn
Foreigners turned buyers after three sessions of selling · all three investor groups were below KRW100bn · third straight session of institutional buying
5-session cumulative (Aug. 11–18) · Foreign +KRW8.12tn · Institutions -KRW585bn · Retail -KRW7.24tn
Foreigners · five straight buying sessions · three of the five exceeded KRW2tn
KOSDAQ five-session cumulative · Foreign -KRW685bn · Institutions -KRW1.03tn
KOSPI200 futures five-session cumulative · Foreign -KRW17bn · Institutions -KRW255bn
Futures ·Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move
Foreign futures KOSPI200 futures net-buy amount · KRX derivatives data · value basis
+KRW224bn
Turned to buying after three sessions of selling · prior -KRW310.0bn · aligned with cash · KRX derivatives, amount basis
Institutional Futures
-KRW616bn
Turned to selling from +KRW317.0bn the prior session · opposite to foreign flow · retail +KRW371.0bn
Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move(KOSPI)
-KRW1.0705tn
Arbitrage +KRW18.2bn · non-arbitrage -KRW1.0887tn · turned back to selling after one day
Cash–Futures Closing Gap
-3.75
Cash 1,082.00 · futures 1,078.25 · Sep. 2026 contract · closes differ at 15:30 / 15:45 · same-time futures level unavailable → excluded as a directional signal
Non-arbitrage -KRW1.0887tn · Arbitrage +KRW18.2bn · Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move Overall program flow turned back to selling
KOSDAQ program · arbitrage -KRW1.7bn · Non-arbitrage +KRW36.3bn · Total +KRW34.6bn · Direction diverged from KOSPI
Foreigners · bought both cash and futures · the three-session divergence that began Aug. 12 ended
Institutions · cash -KRW795.1bn · futures -KRW616.0bn · sellers in both
Cash–futures closing gap turned negative from +0.72 the prior session · dashboard labels it backwardation
Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move · Already included in investor-level flows → no separate addition
Net Buying · Net Selling by Investor
Foreign
Net Buying
- SK Hynix+KRW790.9bn
- Samsung Electronics+KRW176.7bn
- SK Square+KRW49.7bn
- LS ELECTRIC+KRW44.2bn
- Hyosung Heavy Industries+KRW40bn
Net Selling
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics-KRW418.7bn
- Samsung Electronics Preferred-KRW188.2bn
- Hyundai Motor-KRW82bn
- LG Innotek-KRW52.3bn
- Samsung SDI-KRW35.1bn
Institutions
Net Buying
- HMM+KRW41.8bn
- SK Telecom+KRW34.8bn
- Isu Petasys+KRW32.8bn
- Samyang Foods+KRW32.2bn
- GS+KRW22.1bn
Net Selling
- Samsung Electronics-KRW257.3bn
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics-KRW168.7bn
- SK Hynix-KRW123.7bn
- Alteogen-KRW37.1bn
- SK Square-KRW35.9bn
Retail
Net Buying
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics+KRW582.4bn
- Samsung Electronics Preferred+KRW175.5bn
- Samsung Electronics+KRW93.6bn
- Hyundai Motor+KRW80.3bn
- LG Innotek+KRW65.8bn
Net Selling
- SK Hynix-KRW646.2bn
- HMM-KRW48.1bn
- Hanmi Semiconductor-KRW44.1bn
- LS ELECTRIC-KRW43.1bn
- Isu Petasys-KRW37.5bn
Top five foreign and institutional net buys had zero overlap · second straight session
Four of retail's top five net buys were also in foreigners' top five net sells Samsung Electro-Mechanics · Samsung Electronics Preferred · Hyundai Motor · LG Innotek · retail absorbed what foreigners sold
SK Hynix · No. 1 foreign net buy / No. 3 institutional net sell / No. 1 retail net sell
Samsung Electronics · No. 2 foreign net buy / No. 1 institutional net sell / No. 3 retail net buy Second straight session in which the three investor groups split on the same names
Institutional top five net buys · HMM, SK Telecom, Isu Petasys, Samyang Foods and GS · no large-cap semiconductor name included
What Comes Next
Gap-up and pullback in one session · second day of institutional selling · foreign cash and futures realigned
Pullback ExtendsThird day of institutional selling + continued rise in oil and U.S. long-term yields + persistent program selling → whether today's low of 6,788.78 holds is the key check
Memory Alone HoldsForeign buying persists + SK Hynix rises for a sixth session → index remains pressured while large-cap memory alone gains · breadth stays in the 20% range
Breadth RecoversRetail remains a buyer + institutional selling exhausts + Middle East tension eases → check whether breadth recovers to 40%
Next check · whether institutions stop selling large-cap semiconductors + whether buying broadens beyond SK Hynix
Upcoming Calendar9 Events
Aug. 18 (Tue)
21:30
U.S. July Import & Export Prices
First external variable tonight · import prices Consensus The average of brokerage estimates m/m +0.1% · June +0.3%
Aug. 19 (Wed)
12:00
Bank of Korea Q2 Household Credit (Preliminary)
Pace of household-debt growth · input for the Aug. 27 BOK rate decision
Aug. 19 (Wed)
Japan July Trade Balance
Consensus The average of brokerage estimates -JPY680bn · June actual -JPY406.9bn
Aug. 20 (Thu)
03:00
U.S. July FOMC U.S. Federal Open Market Committee · policy-rate setting meeting Minutes
Aug. 19, 14:00 ET · three dissents for a hike against the hold decision · check the degree of division
Aug. 20 (Thu)
China August LPR China Loan Prime Rate · de facto benchmark rate published by the PBOC on the 20th of each month
1Y 3.0% and 5Y 3.5% expected unchanged · 1Y rate has been unchanged for 14 months
Aug. 21 (Fri)
06:00
Korea July PPI
A follow-up to June's +8.6% y/y reading.
Aug. 26 (Wed)
NVIDIA FY2027 Q2 Earnings
After the U.S. regular close · revenue consensus $91.85bn · company Guidance Company-issued outlook for the next quarter or full year $91bn ±2%
Aug. 27 (Thu)
Bank of Korea Monetary Policy Board
Current policy rate 2.75% · first meeting since the July 16 hike
Aug. 31 (Mon)
MSCI August Index Review Takes Effect
At the close · one Korea addition, LG Innotek · four deletions
Data · Earnings Benchmarks
Releases during Korea's market holiday· Consensus vs. Actual
| Item | Consensus The average of brokerage estimates | Actual |
|---|
| U.S. July Retail Sales MoM (%) | +0.1 | -0.6 |
| Same indicator, ex-autos (%) | Not yet reported | -0.3 |
| U.S. preliminary August Michigan consumer sentiment | 54.5 | 51.0 |
| Same survey, 1-year inflation expectations (%) | Not yet reported | 4.3 |
Retail sales · June actual +0.2% was unrevised · y/y +5.0%
Michigan sentiment · July final 55.2 · June 49.5 · fell back to 51.0 after one month
5–10Y inflation expectations 3.3% · unchanged from prior month
U.S. 30-year 5.31% · highest since 2007 · 10Y 4.724%
8/17 SOX Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) · key gauge of global semiconductor stocks +1.64% · Micron +4.13% · SanDisk +8.88% · SK Hynix ADR Depositary receipt of a foreign company listed in the U.S. · local-market trading price +3.04%
To Be Checked in Sequence· Release times in Korea Standard Time
| Name | Release | Consensus The average of brokerage estimates |
|---|
| U.S. July import prices m/m (%) | Night of Aug. 18 | +0.1 |
| Export prices m/m in the same release (%) | Night of Aug. 18 | 0.0 |
| Japan July trade balance (JPY10bn) | 8/19 | -6,800 |
| China August LPR China Loan Prime Rate · de facto benchmark rate published by the PBOC on the 20th of each month 1Y (%) | 8/20 | 3.00 |
| Korea July PPI | 8/21 | Not yet reported |
| NVIDIA FY2027 Q2 revenue ($bn) | 8/26 | 918.5 |
| Same quarter, adjusted EPS Earnings per share · net income ÷ shares outstanding · adjusted EPS excludes one-off items($) | 8/26 | 2.08 |
U.S. June import prices m/m +0.3% · y/y +7.1% · export prices m/m -0.6% · y/y +10.2%Import prices +7.1% y/y was the largest increase since August 2022
Import/export-price consensus values are from the Econoday economist survey Another compilation lists export-price consensus at +0.2%, so estimates differ
Japan June trade-balance actual -JPY406.9bn · Forecasts range from -JPY500bn to -JPY680bn depending on the source
China 1Y LPR 3.0% · unchanged for 14 months since May 2025
Korea June PPI y/y +8.6%
NVIDIA · company Guidance Company-issued outlook for the next quarter or full year $91bn ±2% · assumes zero China data-center revenue
NVIDIA adjusted EPS consensus ranges from $2.08 to $2.18 across compilations; the report uses $2.08
Post-close variables · as of Aug. 18, 16:50 KST · not official closing prices
WTI $84.14 (-0.43%) · Gold $4,459.00 (+0.93%) · Live quote
WTI · Aug. 17 official close $84.50, vs. prior session +2.55% · Expiration of the U.S.–Iran 60-day negotiation deadline in the background
VIX 15.89 (+11.51%) · Dollar Index 99.624 (-0.05%) · Bitcoin $64,121 (-0.60%)
USD/KRW Base Exchange Rate benchmark exchange rate posted as the volume-weighted average of interbank exchange rates 1,411.60 · prior 1,417.30 · -KRW5.70 · KRW stronger 15:30 reference rate · day-on-day comparison uses the same rate series
Oil rose while USD/KRW fell · two signals pulling foreign-flow conditions in opposite directions
Review of the Last 5 Sessions · Aug. 11–18
Aug. 18 (Tue)KOSPI-1.55%KOSDAQ-3.52%Foreign+KRW0.09tn
Rose above 7,200 intraday, then gave back 427.84 points · only one in five stocks advanced · institutions sold large-cap semiconductors for a second day
Aug. 14 (Fri)KOSPI+2.42%KOSDAQ+0.38%Foreign+KRW3.04tn
Intraday high moved back above 7,000 for the first time in 15 sessions and breadth doubled · institutions turned sellers while unloading large-cap semiconductors
Aug. 13 (Thu)KOSPI+3.56%KOSDAQ+0.29%Foreign+KRW2.11tn
Foreign buying extended · Samsung Electro-Mechanics +12.58% drove the No. 1 sector · breadth narrowed further to 37.0%
Aug. 12 (Wed)KOSPI+3.68%KOSDAQ+0.12%Foreign+KRW2.84tn
Foreign buying concentrated in five large-cap IT names · buy-sidecar at 11:57 · despite the index surge, advancers lost their majority
Aug. 11 (Tue)KOSPI+0.73%KOSDAQ+0.39%Foreign+KRW44.0bn
Foreigners resumed buying Samsung Electronics · it regained the No. 1 market-cap position · prior-session high-flying growth stocks retreated
5-session cumulative · KOSPI +9.05%vs. Aug. 10 close 6,299.66 · compounded basis
Foreign KOSPI cash · +KRW44.0bn → +KRW2.84tn → +KRW2.11tn → +KRW3.04tn → +KRW91.4bn
Breadth · 41.9% → 37.0% → 74.8% → 22.0%
No. 1 sector · Electronic Products → Electronic Equipment & Instruments → Wireless Telecom Services → Marine Transportation
Technical Levels· Three Indices
KOSPICurrent 6,869.83
Current
6,7486,9777,216
Support6,848.43 → 6,788.78 → 6,748.13 Aug. 14 low· Today's Low· Aug. 13 low
Resistance6,977.94 → 7,010.86 → 7,216.62 Aug. 14 close· Aug. 14 high· Today's High
Close sits just above the Aug. 14 low of 6,848.43 · below that, today's low of 6,788.78 is the first level
KOSPI200Current 1,082.00
Current
1,0291,0711,100
Support1,071.24 → 1,050 → 1,029.43 Aug. 13 close· Psychological Level· Aug. 12 close
Resistance1,098.18 → 1,100 Aug. 14 close· Psychological Level
A renewed test of the 1,100 psychological level failed after one day · decline gap vs. KOSPI was 0.08pp
KOSDAQCurrent 834.20
Current
798827879
Support827.97 → 798.81 Today's Low· Aug. 7 close
Resistance845.41 → 872.59 → 879.29 Aug. 14 low· Today's High· Aug. 14 high
Closed below the Aug. 14 low of 845.41 · decline was more than twice the KOSPI's
One-Line Glossary
- Limit Up· Limit Down
- Daily price limit ±30% · Aug. 18 KOSPI: 5 limit-ups · KOSDAQ: 8 limit-ups and 1 limit-down
- FOMC
- U.S. Federal Open Market Committee · policy-rate setting meeting · July meeting held rates, with three dissents favoring a hike
- LPR
- China Loan Prime Rate · de facto benchmark rate published by the PBOC on the 20th of each month
- SOX
- Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) · key gauge of global semiconductor stocks
- ADR
- Depositary receipt of a foreign company listed in the U.S. · local-market trading price
- HBM
- High Bandwidth Memory · stacked architecture widens data pathways · used in AI servers
- S7
- A thematic basket grouping seven large-cap semiconductor stocks, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix
- Materials, Parts & Equipment
- Materials, Parts & Equipment · suppliers of materials and equipment to major semiconductor producers
- EPS
- Earnings per share · net income ÷ shares outstanding · adjusted EPS excludes one-off items
- Consensus· Guidance
- Consensus = average of brokerage forecasts · guidance = company-provided outlook
- Short Selling
- Selling borrowed shares → a bet on declines · Aug. 18 KOSPI KRW1.99tn · 4.7% of combined KRX+NXT turnover
- Flow Concentration
- Share of the sum of foreign net-buy stocks accounted for by the top net-buy names · KRX data
- Program Trading
- Automated multi-stock orders · a channel for index and flow moves · already included in investor-level flow data
- Arbitrage· Non-arbitrage
- Arbitrage = exploits cash-futures price differences · non-arbitrage = other program trading such as index tracking
- Cash–Futures Closing Gap
- Cash closes 15:30 / futures 15:45 → not a same-time basis · excluded from directional signals
- Base Exchange Rate
- Published volume-weighted average of interbank FX transactions · both USD/KRW and JPY/KRW use this series
- Sector· Theme Performance
- Sector = market-cap weighted · theme = simple average of constituents · when values conflict, sector value is the reference
- Market-cap weighted
- Sector indexes weight stocks in proportion to market cap · larger stocks exert more influence
- Market Breadth
- Share of advancing stocks · gauge of how broadly gains and losses are distributed
Sources & Data Notes
- Korea Exchange (KRX) · Naver Finance KOSPI 6,869.83 (-1.55%, official Aug. 18 close) O 7,127.77 · H 7,216.62 · L 6,788.78 / KOSDAQ 834.20 (-3.52%) O 866.59 · H 872.59 · L 827.97 / KOSPI 200 1,082.00 (-1.47%, closing basis) / stock counts: KOSPI 195 up · 5 limit-up · 29 flat · 682 down · 0 limit-down; KOSDAQ 372 up · 8 limit-up · 68 flat · 1,288 down · 1 limit-down / turnover: KOSPI KRW29.64tn (115% of 5-day average) · KOSDAQ KRW8.05tn (113%): dashboard (Naver Finance daily index data · KRX source, collected Aug. 18 at 16:50 KST)· Closing-market commentary cross-checked with NewsPim·Etoday·Financial News .· The intraday high of 7,216.62 was not an all-time high; it was the first move above 7,200 since the July 15 close of 7,284.41; intervening intraday highs were 7,166.00 on July 22 and 7,108.44 on July 23, cross-checked against Rolling Log 04
- Investor-Level Totals(Naver Finance investor-flow data, Aug. 18 close) KOSPI retail +KRW741.4bn and foreign investors +KRW 91.4bn and institutions -KRW795.1bn / KOSDAQ Retail +KRW389.2bn and foreign investors +KRW36.6bn and institutions -KRW416.4bn· Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move KOSPI Arbitrage +KRW18.2bn· Non-arbitrage -KRW1.0887tn· Total -KRW1.0705tn, KOSDAQ total +KRW34.6bn· Cash–futures closing gap -3.75 (cash 1,082.00 · futures 1,078.25 · Sep. 2026 contract, expiry 2026-09, different close times → not a same-time basis measure)· 5-session cumulative (Aug. 11–18) KOSPI foreign +KRW8.12tn and institutions -KRW585bn· Retail -KRW7.24tn, KOSDAQ foreign -KRW685bn and institutions -KRW1.03tn, K200 futures foreign -KRW17bn and institutions -KRW255bn· Aggregate series (Naver) and stock-level series (KRX) cover different market scopes · no cross-aggregation or share calculations· KOSPI200 futures (KRX derivatives, value basis) Foreign +KRW224bn and institutions -KRW616bn· Retail +KRW371bn· Reported retail-flow figures vary by outlet from +KRW730.8bn to +KRW1.1978tn; the report uses only the Naver Finance series from the dashboard
- Stock-Level Investor Flows KRX investor trading data (entire stock market · collected Aug. 18 at 16:51 KST · regular-session final). Foreign net buys: SK Hynix +KRW790.9bn· Samsung Electronics +KRW176.7bn· SK Square +KRW49.7bn·LS ELECTRIC +KRW44.2bn· Hyosung Heavy Industries +KRW40bn, foreign net sells: Samsung Electro-Mechanics -KRW418.7bn· Samsung Electronics Preferred -KRW188.2bn· Hyundai Motor -KRW82bn· LG Innotek -KRW52.3bn· Samsung SDI -KRW35.1bn / institutional net buys: HMM +KRW41.8bn· SK Telecom +KRW34.8bn· Isu Petasys +KRW32.8bn, institutional net sells: Samsung Electronics -KRW257.3bn· Samsung Electro-Mechanics -KRW168.7bn· SK Hynix -KRW123.7bn / retail net buys: Samsung Electro-Mechanics +KRW582.4bn, retail net sells: SK Hynix -KRW646.2bn. Sum of foreign net-buy stocks +KRW1.9346tn · sum of net-sell stocks -KRW1.8098tn · two stocks +KRW967.6bn · outside those two +KRW967.0bn; all are summed amounts, not ratios calculated against total net buying· Flow Concentration Share of the sum of foreign net-buy stocks accounted for by the top net-buy names · KRX data Foreign-buy TOP1 41% · TOP5 57% from the same dashboard
- Final Stock Closing Prices Samsung Electronics KRW268,500 (−2.19%· market cap KRW1,569.7tn) · SK Hynix KRW1,662,000 (+1.03%· KRW1,214.1tn) · Samsung Electronics Preferred KRW188,300 (−3.73%) · SK Square KRW1,135,000 (−1.65%) · Samsung Electro-Mechanics KRW1,440,000 (−7.57%· KRW107.6tn) · Hyundai Motor KRW435,000 (−3.97%) · LG Energy Solution KRW351,000 (−5.01%) · Samsung Life Insurance KRW310,500 (+3.16%) · LG Electronics KRW208,000 (−3.3%): top KRX market-cap stocks · regular-session closing prices (dashboard; source: Naver Finance)· LG Innotek KRW633,000 (−3.21%) · HMM KRW22,650 (+6.59%) are Google Finance as of 15:30· Samsung Electronics open KRW283,000 · intraday high KRW288,000; SK Hynix intraday high KRW1,792,000 from Yonhap News· Short Selling Sell borrowed shares → bet on a decline · turnover basis Market-wide short-selling turnover: KOSPI KRW1.99tn (4.7% of market turnover) · KOSDAQ KRW0.46tn (4.8%); top turnover: SK Hynix KRW340.5bn (2.7%) · Samsung Electronics KRW316.7bn (3.0%) · Samsung Electro-Mechanics KRW141.9bn (5.6%) · Hyundai Motor KRW104.6bn (17.2%) · LG Electronics KRW63.6bn (10.6%); top shares: Lotte REIT 36.7% · S-1 36.1% · KEPCO KPS 35.6% · Korea Aerospace Industries 35.1%, all from the same dashboard (regular-session final · KRX+NXT combined · collected Aug. 18 at 17:50 KST)
- Aug. 14 · Aug. 17 U.S. market final Aug. 14 Dow 53,732.41 (−0.20%)·S&P500 7,785.76(−0.17%) · Nasdaq 26,729.16 (−0.28%)·SOX 12,417.05(−0.31%) / Aug. 17 Dow 53,459.78 (−0.51%)·S&P500 7,745.06(−0.52%) · Nasdaq 26,644.91 (−0.32%)·SOX 12,621.00(+1.64%): dashboard (Naver Finance · Yahoo-derived series) and NewsPim·Aju Business Daily .· U.S. Treasuries use U.S. Treasury Daily Treasury Par Yield Curve Rates basis: Aug. 14 10Y 4.68% · 30Y 5.25%; Aug. 17 10Y 4.72% · 30Y 5.31% (highest since 2007), while the report's 4.724% is the dashboard value and differs from the Treasury par yield of 4.72% at the third decimal place· Individual stocks, Aug. 14: SanDisk +7.39%·AMD +6.50%· Micron +2.30%· SK Hynix ADR +0.40%· Nvidia −0.06%· Applied Materials −5.12%· Broadcom −5.94%; Aug. 17: SanDisk +8.88%· Applied Materials +5.55%· Micron +4.13%(close $1,011.75) · SK Hynix ADR +3.04%· Broadcom −0.14%· Nvidia −0.07%·AMD −1.63% use StockAnalysis daily data· Aug. 17 Micron and SanDisk returns vary across outlets at +4.13% to +6.5% and +8.88% to +16.9%; the report uses the source daily-data values· VIX 15.89 · Dollar Index 99.624 are live prices as of Aug. 18, 16:50 KST, not official U.S. closing levels
- U.S. July retail sales · August Michigan survey(released Aug. 14) retail sales m/m −0.6%· ex-motor vehicles & parts −0.3%· y/y +5.0%· June +0.2% unrevised: U.S. Census Bureau MARTS release· Michigan preliminary August 51.0 (current conditions 51.8 · expectations 50.6 · 1Y inflation expectations 4.3% · 5–10Y 3.3%) · July final 55.2 · June 49.5: ABA Banking Journal· Consensus: retail sales +0.1% · Michigan 54.5(The Washington Post·Crypto Briefing)
- Korea-close backdrop · stock-specific catalysts U.S.–Iran 60-day ceasefire-MOU negotiation deadline expired at midnight Aug. 17 · oil and Treasury yields rose together after Oman-related remarks, Daishin Securities commentary: Yonhap News· Aug. 17 WTI September futures $84.50 (+2.55%) · Brent October futures $90.87 (+2.65%): Financial News· Strength in HMM and other shipping stocks tied to expectations of Hormuz-route disruption and higher ocean freight rates: Etoday· The contraction in intraday foreign net buying from the KRW1tn range to below KRW100bn by the close follows Mirae Asset Securities strategist Seo Sang-young's commentary (Yonhap News)· No stock-specific negative news for Samsung Electro-Mechanics was confirmed that day, so the report records only flows and price action
- FX & Commodities USD/KRW 1,411.60 (prior 1,417.30· -KRW5.70) · JPY/KRW per ¥100 at 883.69 (prior 889.90) are 15:30 Korea FX-market reference rates from the dashboard series; day-on-day changes are compared within the same series· The 10-month low and its backdrop from Etoday· WTI $84.14 · gold $4,459.00 · Bitcoin $64,121 are live prices as of Aug. 18, 16:50 KST· LME copper 14,850.00 (+2.10%) · aluminum 3,272.00 (+0.74%) are Cash prices for Aug. 17
- Sectors & Themes Naver Finance sector/theme prices (Aug. 18 close, collected 16:50 KST): among 79 sectors, 12 up · 0 flat · 67 down; among 219 themes, 21 up · 0 flat · 198 down· Marine Transportation +6.14%(6 up · 5 down among 11 stocks) · Internet & Catalog Retail +2.97%(1 up · 5 down among 6 stocks) · Life Insurance +2.81%· Property & Casualty Insurance +2.32%· Oil & Gas +1.87%· Wireless Telecom Services −0.74%(0 up · 1 flat · 3 down among 4 stocks) · Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment −0.93%(52 up · 6 flat · 113 down among 171 stocks) · Aerospace & Defense −1.93%· Automobiles −3.60%· Venture Capital −3.92%· Auto Parts −4.11%· IT Services −6.02%· Electronic Equipment & Instruments −6.20%(18 up · 7 flat · 81 down among 106 stocks) · Health Care Technology −6.53%· Health Care Providers & Services −8.21% / theme: Shipping +8.91%·LPG +1.87%· Semiconductor Equipment −0.75%· Semiconductor Materials/Components −1.36%·S7 −1.56%·HBM −1.62%·MLCC −7.21%· ※Sectors are market-cap weighted; themes are simple averages of constituent stocks, so identically named groups can show different returns · sector value used as the reference· Aug. 14 comparison values (Wireless Telecom Services +8.49%· Automobiles +6.20%· Oil & Gas +5.84%· Auto Parts +5.25%· Electronic Equipment & Instruments +3.58%· Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment +2.77% 86 advancing stocks) are from the Aug. 14 snapshot of the same source
- U.S. memory catalyst U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he “does not support” Apple sourcing memory from China's CXMT and YMTC The Wall Street Journal exclusive was published Aug. 14 (Fri), and there is no rule barring purchases of commodity-standard parts: 9to5Mac·Yahoo Finance (WSJ original is paywalled; secondary citation used)· Aug. 17 report that Anthropic reached $65bn in annualized revenue: CNBC· Explanations for the Aug. 17 SOX +1.64% move differ across outlets—Anthropic revenue, Lutnick's remarks, and SanDisk Investor Day—so the report does not attribute it to a single cause· On Aug. 14, the day of Lutnick's remarks, SOX was -0.31%.
- Schedule · Benchmarks U.S. July import and export prices Aug. 18 at 08:30 ET (21:30 KST) is scheduled for release; June actuals: imports m/m +0.3%· y/y +7.1%, exports m/m -0.6%· y/y +10.2%: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics release·BLS August release calendar· The report's consensus uses the Econoday economist survey: imports +0.1% (range -0.1% to +0.4%) · exports 0.0% (range -0.2% to +0.2%), Econoday·CME Group as published· Trading Economics lists export-price consensus at +0.2%, creating a discrepancy; its proprietary model forecast is not a survey estimate and is not used in the report· Aug. 19 BOK Q2 household credit (preliminary) at 12:00 · Aug. 20 BOK Q2 international investment position · Aug. 21, 06:00 Korea July producer prices (preliminary): NewsPim weekly financial calendar· July FOMC minutes: Aug. 19, 14:00 ET (Aug. 20, 03:00 KST) · July meeting held rates, with three dissents favoring a hike· Japan July trade-balance consensus -JPY680bn · June actual -JPY406.9bn (Investing.com), while Trading Economics' model forecast differs at -JPY500bn· China August LPR expected unchanged at 3.0% for 1Y and 3.5% for 5Y (Trading Economics)· NVIDIA FY2027 Q2 consensus revenue $91.85bn · adjusted EPS $2.08; company guidance $91bn ±2% (REX Shares), while EPS consensus ranges from $2.08 to $2.18 across compilations; the report uses $2.08· Korea June producer prices y/y +8.6%(Investing.com)· MSCI August review: one Korea addition, LG Innotek; four deletions—HLB, LG Display, POSCO International and Samsung Epis Holdings—and effective at the Aug. 31 close (4th Journal)· Aug. 27 Bank of Korea Monetary Policy Board · current policy rate 2.75%
Disclaimer: This material is for market-structure analysis and organization of decision-relevant information only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument.
