Sector Leaders & Laggards
Gaining Sectors
Leisure Equipment & Products+3.09%
Road & Rail Transportation+2.27%
Energy Equipment & Services+1.82%
Declining Sectors
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment-8.42%
79 sectors · 10 up · 0 flat · 69 down · advancing sectors fell by 2 from 12 the prior session
Leisure Equipment & Products +3.09% · Among 13 stocks: 2 up · 2 flat · 9 down 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 -8.42% · Ranked 78th of 79 sectors · among 171 stocks, 29 up · 5 flat · 137 down
Sector Read
01Semiconductors dragged the index lower
The ranking within semiconductors· Sector · Theme · Stock classification shown explicitly
| Name | Category | Change |
|---|
| Semiconductor Equipment | Theme | -2.57% |
| Samsung Electro-Mechanics | Stock | -3.68% |
| Samsung Electronics | Stock | -7.82% |
| S7 A thematic basket grouping seven large-cap semiconductor stocks, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix(Large-Cap Semiconductors) | Theme | -8.23% |
| Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment | Sector | -8.42% |
| SK Hynix | Stock | -9.75% |
| SK Square | Stock | -11.54% |
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment -8.42% · Ranked 78th of 79 sectors · among 171 stocks, 29 up · 5 flat · 137 down Advancers fell by another 23 from 52 the prior session · there were 86 on Aug. 14
SK Hynix -9.75% · Five-session winning streak ended · No. 1 foreign net sell -KRW1.8256tn
Samsung Electronics -7.82% · Second straight decline · No. 1 institutional net sell -KRW733.4bn · No. 2 foreign net sell -KRW1.0422tn
SK Square -11.54% · Largest decline among the top 10 stocks by market cap Holding company with a stake in SK Hynix
S7 A thematic basket grouping seven large-cap semiconductor stocks, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix -8.23% · Last among 219 themes · Materials, Parts & Equipment Materials, Parts & Equipment · suppliers of materials and equipment to major semiconductor producers related semiconductor equipment was -2.57%Large-cap memory fell more than materials/parts/equipment, the opposite of the prior session
Short Selling Sell borrowed shares → bet on a decline · turnover basis No. 1 short-selling turnover Samsung Electronics KRW421.9bn (5.7%) · No. 2 SK Hynix KRW392.9bn (4.7%)
Large-cap memory and materials/parts/equipment diverged again
With the entire market weak, the No. 1 and No. 2 market-cap names pulled the index down further
02Construction, defense and secondary batteries held up
Where Gains Remained· Sector · Theme · Stock classification shown explicitly
| Name | Category | Change |
|---|
| Leisure Equipment & Products | Sector | +3.09% |
| Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation | Theme | +2.98% |
| Hanwha Aerospace | Stock | +2.71% |
| LG Energy Solution | Stock | +1.85% |
| Energy Equipment & Services | Sector | +1.82% |
| Construction | Sector | +1.59% |
Only 10 of 79 sectors rose · down by 2 from 12 the prior session
Construction +1.59% · Among 78 stocks: 25 up · 12 flat · 41 down Largest number of advancing stocks among the gaining sectors
Hanwha Aerospace +2.71% · No. 1 institutional net buy +KRW55.4bn · No. 6 foreign net sell -KRW92.8bnAerospace & Defense sector was -0.27%, ranked 13th of 79
LG Energy Solution +1.85% · Samsung Biologics +0.85% · Two of the top 10 market-cap stocks that advanced
Institutional top five net buys · Hanwha Aerospace · HPSP · Isu Petasys · Silicon2 · Hyundai E&C No large-cap semiconductor names · second straight session
KOSDAQ Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move +KRW28.2bn · KOSPI -KRW3.5625tn moved in the opposite direction · second straight session
The pockets of strength were scattered outside semiconductors
The forces pulling down the index and the stocks holding up were in different parts of the market
03The prior session's leaders retreated again
One session after Aug. 18's top and bottom sectors· All sector-weighted values
| Sector | 08.18 | 08.19 |
|---|
| Marine Transportation | +6.14% | -3.62% |
| Internet & Catalog Retail | +2.97% | +1.44% |
| Life Insurance | +2.81% | -9.50% |
| Property & Casualty Insurance | +2.32% | -0.55% |
| Health Care Providers & Services | -8.21% | -3.28% |
Of the prior session's top four sectors, Internet & Catalog Retail was the only one still up today
Life Insurance -9.50% · Last of 79 sectors · among 4 stocks: 1 up · 1 flat · 2 down Property & Casualty Insurance was -0.55%, ranked 16th · the two sectors that rose together the prior day diverged
Marine Transportation -3.62% · Ranked 70th of 79 · was the No. 1 sector the prior session Oil & Gas also reversed from +1.87% to -3.59%.
Health Care Providers & Services, last the prior session, -3.28%, ranked 66th
No. 1 sector by session · Aug. 12 Electronic Products · Aug. 13 Electronic Equipment & Instruments · Aug. 14 Wireless Telecom Services · Aug. 18 Marine Transportation · Aug. 19 Leisure Equipment & Products
Sessions in which the leaders and laggards flipped in a day kept recurring
The No. 1 sector changed for five straight sessions
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 SK Hynix's post-close treasury-share announcement is not included in this ratio
Upside USD/KRW daytime-session close 1,397.70 · down KRW14.10 from prior session · moved below 1,400Recovered 70.36 points from the intraday low to the close · did not retest the low in the afternoonKOSDAQ -1.17% · breadth 23.1%, 4.0pp above KOSPIU.S. 10Y close 4.706% · down 1.8bp · time basis differs from the 30Y intraday highSK Hynix KRW40.0043tn treasury-share purchase and cancellation · open-market buying starts Aug. 20 · not reflected in 15:30 close signals
Downside Foreign cash -KRW3.4884tn · turned seller after five buying sessions · top five sells accounted for 81%Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move -KRW3.5625tn · second straight session of selling · three times the prior sessionInstitutional cash -KRW1.3231tn · third straight session of sellingBreadth narrowed further from 22.0% · advancing sectors and themes simultaneously fell to 10 and 16U.S. 30Y intraday in the 5.33% range · highest since 2007 · SOX -4.98%Short Selling Sell borrowed shares → bet on a decline · turnover basis KOSPI share 6.7% · prior 4.7%
Variables Excluded from the Probability Retail +KRW4.6356tn · second straight session of buying · KRW3.9132tn into the two large caps · classified as absorption of sell-side supplyInstitutional futures +KRW553.0bn · futures buying on a sharp-down day can include hedge unwinds and arbitrage, so it is not treated as a rebound betBOK Q2 household credit exceeded KRW2,000tn for the first time · relevant to the Aug. 27 policy meeting, but no same-day index reaction was identifiedAug. 20, 03:00 KST U.S. July FOMC minutes · Aug. 19 U.S. regular session · outcomes not yet knownCash–futures closing gap +1.49 · 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-KRW3.4884tnTurned seller after five buying sessions
Retail cash+KRW4.6356tnSecond straight session of buying
SK Hynix-KRW1.8256tnNo. 1 foreign sell · No. 1 retail buy
Non-arbitrage-KRW3.3721tnThree times the prior session · second straight day of selling
KOSPI Breadth19.1%Prior 22.0%
KOSDAQ Breadth23.1%Prior 21.9%
Next Confirmation Conditions
FlowsWhether foreign selling extends to two sessions · whether selling in the two large caps shrinks · whether institutional selling reaches four sessions · a return of non-arbitrage program flow to buying favors upside
BreadthWhether breadth recovers from 19.1%· Whether semiconductor advancers re-expand from 29· Whether KOSDAQ 804.02 holds as support The key question in this phase is whether KOSDAQ continues to fall less than KOSPI, as it did today
Price · VariablesWhether KOSPI holds above 6,400.81 on a closing basis · whether it recovers the open at 6,528.77 · U.S. July FOMC minutes at Aug. 20, 03:00 KST · direction of the U.S. 30Y · start of SK Hynix treasury-share purchases
Flows · Breadth Detail
Flow StructureKOSPI· Naver Finance investor-flow data
Retail+KRW4.6356tn
Foreign-KRW3.4884tn
Institutions-KRW1.3231tn
Data basis · investor-group totals = Naver Finance · stock-level data = KRX · market coverage differs → no cross-series summing or ratio calculations
Foreign · turned seller after five buying sessions · reversed from the prior session's +KRW 91.4bn.
Institutions · third straight session of selling · selling increased from the prior session's -KRW795.1bn.
Retail · second straight session of buying · more than six times the prior session's +KRW741.4bn.
Foreign cash and futures both sold · second straight session of directional alignment
KOSDAQ · Retail -KRW71.6bn · Foreign +KRW14.7bn · Institutions +KRW49.9bn · All three investor groups moved opposite to their KOSPI direction
Foreigners sold KOSPI but bought KOSDAQ
Foreign futures KOSPI200 futures net-buy amount · KRX derivatives data · value basis-KRW84bn
Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move(KOSPI)-KRW3.5625tn
USD/KRW daytime-session close 15:30 Korea FX daytime-session close · a different series from the reference rate1,397.70 ▼14.10
Market Breadth Share of advancing stocks · gauge of how broadly gains and losses are distributed
KOSPI 174 / 909 = 19.1% Advancers 171·Limit-up 3·Unchanged 32·Decliners 703·Limit-down 0
KOSDAQ 402 / 1,738 = 23.1% Advancers 396·Limit-up 6·Unchanged 58·Decliners 1,275·Limit-down 3
vs. prior session · KOSPI breadth narrowed further from 22.0% · KOSDAQ 21.9% → 23.1%
KOSPI decliners were 4.0 times advancers · 3.4 times the prior session
KOSDAQ breadth was 4.0pp above KOSPI · the two markets were nearly equal the prior session
The two markets diverged in a single day
Turnover KRX data
| Market | Turnover | vs. 5-Day Average |
|---|
| KOSPI | KRW 22.94tn | 82% |
| KOSDAQ | KRW6.13tn | 84% |
KOSPI turnover · 115% → 82% of the 5-day average · absolute amount KRW29.64tn → KRW22.94tn
KOSDAQ turnover · 113% → 84% · KRW8.05tn → KRW6.13tn
Short Selling Sell borrowed shares → bet on a decline · turnover basis · KOSPI KRW1.98tn · 6.7% of combined KRX+NXT turnover · prior KRW1.99tn and 4.7% The amount was nearly unchanged, but the share rose 2.0pp
Short selling · KOSDAQ KRW0.33tn · 4.6% on the same basis · prior KRW0.46tn and 4.8% Expanded only in KOSPI · the prior session both markets increased
No. 1 short-selling turnover: Samsung Electronics KRW421.9bn (5.7%) · No. 2 SK Hynix KRW392.9bn (4.7%) SK Hynix ranked No. 1 the prior session at KRW340.5bn and 2.7%
Highest stock-level share: KT 44.3% · Korea Aerospace Industries 41.5% · Krafton 38.1% Korea Aerospace Industries expanded again from 35.1% the prior session
The index fell sharply, while turnover dropped below its 5-day average
Flows Over the Last 5 Sessions
Flows Over the Last 5 Sessions KOSPI· Naver Finance investor-flow data
08.19Retail+KRW4.64tnForeign-KRW3.49tnInstitutions-KRW1.32tn
Foreigners turned sellers after five buying sessions · most selling was in the two large caps · institutions sold for a third session · retail bought for a second
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
5-session cumulative (Aug. 12–19) · Foreign +KRW4.58tn · Institutions -KRW1.94tn · Retail -KRW2.53tn
Foreigners · sold KRW3.49tn in one day after five buying sessions · 5-session cumulative flow remains net positive
KOSDAQ five-session cumulative · Foreign -KRW312bn · Institutions -KRW881bn
KOSPI200 futures five-session cumulative · Foreign -KRW578bn · Institutions +KRW173bnFutures moved opposite to cash, with foreign cash at +KRW4.58tn over the same five-session window.
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
-KRW84bn
Turned to selling after one day · prior +KRW224.0bn · aligned with cash · KRX derivatives, amount basis
Institutional Futures
+KRW553bn
Turned to buying from -KRW616.0bn the prior session · opposite to foreign flow · retail -KRW341.0bn
Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move(KOSPI)
-KRW3.5625tn
Arbitrage -KRW190.4bn · non-arbitrage -KRW3.3721tn · second straight session of selling
Cash–Futures Closing Gap
+1.49
Cash 1,012.61 · futures 1,014.10 · Sep. 2026 contract · closes differ at 15:30 / 15:45 · same-time futures level unavailable → excluded as a directional signal
Both arbitrage and non-arbitrage were net sellers · the prior session, arbitrage alone was a buyer
KOSDAQ program · arbitrage +KRW34.9bn · Non-arbitrage -KRW6.7bn · Total +KRW28.2bn · Direction diverged from KOSPI · second straight session
Foreigners · sold both cash and futures · the alignment established on Aug. 18 continued
Institutions · cash -KRW1.3231tn · futures +KRW553bn · the two sides diverged
Cash–futures closing gap turned positive from -3.75 the prior session · dashboard labels it contango
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
- Kiwoom Securities+KRW27.5bn
- Korea Investment Holdings+KRW27.1bn
- Samsung Securities+KRW22.6bn
- Hanmi Semiconductor+KRW18.4bn
- DB HiTek+KRW15.3bn
Net Selling
- SK Hynix-KRW1.8256tn
- Samsung Electronics-KRW1.0422tn
- SK Square-KRW216.5bn
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics-KRW149.9bn
- Samsung Electronics Preferred-KRW133.8bn
Institutions
Net Buying
- Hanwha Aerospace+KRW55.4bn
- HPSP+KRW35.8bn
- Isu Petasys+KRW32.4bn
- Silicon2+KRW26.9bn
- Hyundai E&C+KRW23.8bn
Net Selling
- Samsung Electronics-KRW733.4bn
- SK Hynix-KRW471.8bn
- NAVER-KRW43.1bn
- Samsung Electronics Preferred−KRW41.6bn
- KEPCO-KRW33.1bn
Retail
Net Buying
- SK Hynix+KRW2.2185tn
- Samsung Electronics+KRW1.6947tn
- SK Square+KRW233.4bn
- Samsung Electronics Preferred+KRW166.3bn
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics+KRW140.5bn
Net Selling
- HPSP-KRW48.9bn
- Hyundai E&C-KRW26.2bn
- Alteogen-KRW22.8bn
- OCI Holdings-KRW21.9bn
- Samsung Securities-KRW19.4bn
Foreigners' top five net sells were the same stocks as retail's top five net buys · only the fourth and fifth rankings differed The prior session four of five overlapped · today all five did
No. 1 foreign net buy: Kiwoom Securities +KRW27.5bn · All top five were below KRW30bn The gap versus the No. 1 net sell exceeded sixty-fold
Foreigners put three brokerage stocks among their top buys, but the Securities sector was -3.85% · among 39 stocks: 0 up · 1 flat · 38 down
Institutional top five net buys · Hanwha Aerospace · HPSP · Isu Petasys · Silicon2 · Hyundai E&C · no large-cap semiconductors · second straight session
HPSP · No. 2 institutional net buy +KRW35.8bn · No. 1 retail net sell -KRW48.9bn · The two investor groups moved directly opposite each other
What Comes Next
Most of the decline came from the opening gap · foreigners turned sellers · SK Hynix treasury-share announcement came after the close
Selling ExtendsSecond day of foreign selling + persistent program selling + U.S. 30Y remains near highs or re-accelerates → whether today's low holds is the key check
ReboundRetail buying persists + foreign selling shrinks + SK Hynix treasury-share purchases begin → whether the opening price is recovered is the key check
Only the Two Large Caps Stay PressuredLarge-cap memory remains pressured while KOSDAQ, construction and defense hold up as they did today · breadth stays around 20%
Next check · whether foreigners reduce selling in the two large caps + whether SK Hynix treasury-share purchases begin
Upcoming Calendar7 Events
Aug. 20 (Thu)
SK Hynix Treasury-Share Purchases Begin
Aug. 19 board resolution · KRW40.0043tn · open-market purchases for about three months through Nov. 19 · all acquired shares to be cancelled after completion
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 The average of brokerage estimates $91.85bn · company Guidance Company-issued outlook for the next quarter or full year $91bn ±2%
Aug. 27 (Thu)
Bank of Korea Monetary Policy Board
Current policy rate 2.75% · first meeting since the July 16 hike · Q2 household credit exceeding KRW2,000tn for the first time is an input to the decision
Aug. 31 (Mon)
MSCI August Index Review Takes Effect
At the close · one Korea addition, LG Innotek · four deletions
Data · Earnings Benchmarks
Releases from last night and today· Consensus vs. Actual
| Item | Consensus The average of brokerage estimates | Actual |
|---|
| U.S. July import prices m/m (%) | +0.1 | -0.4 |
| Same indicator y/y (%) | Not yet reported | +5.9 |
| Export prices m/m in the same release (%) | 0.0 | Not available |
| Korea Q2 household-credit balance (KRWtn) | Not yet reported | 2,019.8 |
| Same statistic, q/q change (KRWtn) | Not yet reported | +25.9 |
Import prices · petroleum imports -7.5% · ex-petroleum +0.3% · June revised to -0.3%. Consensus is from the Econoday economist survey
Household credit · above KRW2,000tn for the first time · increase +KRW25.9tn was the largest in 19 quarters The prior quarter's increase was +KRW14.8tn.
Household loans KRW1,891.3tn (+KRW24.9tn) · sales credit KRW128.5tn (+KRW900bn)
Housing-related loans +KRW12.2tn · Other loans +KRW12.8tn · Other loans exceeded housing-related loans
U.S. 30Y intraday high was the highest since 2007 · 10Y close 4.706% Japan July trade-balance final figure was not available at publication time
To Be Checked in Sequence· Release times in Korea Standard Time
| Name | Release | Consensus The average of brokerage estimates |
|---|
| China August LPR China Loan Prime Rate · de facto benchmark rate published by the PBOC on the 20th of each month 1Y (%) | 8/20 | 3.00 |
| Same release, 5Y (%) | 8/20 | 3.50 |
| Korea July PPI | 8/21 | Not yet reported |
| NVIDIA FY2027 Q2 revenue ($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 |
| Bank of Korea policy rate (%) | 8/27 | 2.75 |
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
BOK Monetary Policy Board · first meeting since the July 16 hike · current policy rate 2.75%
Post-close variables · prices as of Aug. 19, 16:02 KST · not official closing prices
SK Hynix Decision to Acquire and Cancel Treasury Shares · Aug. 19 board meeting · KRW40.0043tn · 24.07mn common shares · about 3.3% of 730.49mn shares outstanding Open-market purchases for about three months from Aug. 20 through Nov. 19 · all acquired shares to be cancelled · reference price based on Aug. 18 close of KRW1,662,000
Same filing · at least 50% of cumulative 2025–2027 free cash flow to shareholder returns · cash dividends in parallel 16:10 after-hours price KRW1,601,000 · above the regular-session close of KRW1,500,000 · percentage changes omitted because outlets used different comparison bases
WTI $84.64 (-0.35%) · Gold $4,399.80 (+0.77%) · Live quote
Dollar Index 99.479 (-0.17%) · Bitcoin $64,270 (-0.37%) · Live quote
LME Copper $14,335.00 (-3.47%) · Aluminum $3,219.00 (-1.62%) · Aug. 18 final
USD/KRW daytime-session close 1,397.70 · -KRW14.10 · KRW stronger · back in the 1,300s for the first time in about 10½ months The 15:30 Korea FX-market close is the authoritative USD/KRW figure · at the same time Base Exchange Rate benchmark exchange rate posted as the volume-weighted average of interbank exchange rates was 1,398.00 in a different rate series
JPY/KRW per ¥100 at 878.36 · prior 883.69 · -KRW5.33 · same 15:30 reference-rate series
KRW strengthened for a second straight day, yet foreigners turned sellers· The treasury-share filing came after the 15:30 close signal
This Week in Review · Aug. 18–19
Aug. 19 (Wed)KOSPI-5.80%KOSDAQ-1.17%Foreign-KRW3.49tn
Overnight U.S. 30Y high and SOX -4.98% were absorbed through a gap-down open · sell-sidecar at 09:06 · most foreign selling was in the two large caps · KOSDAQ fell only one-fifth as much as KOSPI
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
Two-session cumulative this week · KOSPI -7.26%vs. Aug. 14 close 6,977.94 · compounded basis
Breadth · 22.0% → 19.1%
Foreign KOSPI cash · +KRW 91.4bn → -KRW3.4884tn
No. 1 sector · Marine Transportation → Leisure Equipment & Products
Technical Levels· Three Indices
KOSPICurrent 6,471.17
Current
6,2996,5286,788
Support6,400.81 → 6,345.53 → 6,299.66 Today's Low· Aug. 11 Close· Aug. 10 close
Resistance6,528.77 → 6,614.39 → 6,788.78 Today's Open· Today's High· Aug. 18 low
Close fell below the Aug. 12 close of 6,579.04 · 125.64 points above the Aug. 11 close of 6,345.53
KOSPI200Current 1,012.61
Current
1,0001,0291,082
Support1,000 Psychological Level· 12.61 points from the close
Resistance1,029.43 → 1,071.24 → 1,082.00 Aug. 12 close· Aug. 13 close· Aug. 18 close
The 1,000 psychological level sits just below · fell 0.61pp more than KOSPI
KOSDAQCurrent 824.46
Current
798827840
Support804.02 → 798.81 Today's Low· Aug. 7 close
Resistance827.97 → 834.20 → 840.50 Aug. 18 low· Aug. 18 close· Today's High
Closed below the Aug. 18 low of 827.97 · decline was one-fifth of the KOSPI's
One-Line Glossary
- sidecar
- If KOSPI 200 futures remain down at least 5% from the reference price for one minute, program-trading orders are suspended for five minutes · triggered Aug. 19 at 09:06
- Limit Up· Limit Down
- Daily price limit ±30% · Aug. 19 KOSPI: 3 limit-ups · KOSDAQ: 6 limit-ups and 3 limit-downs
- 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
- 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. 19 KOSPI KRW1.98tn · 6.7% of combined KRX+NXT turnover
- Flow Concentration
- Share of each direction's total accounted for by the top net-buy/net-sell stocks · 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 · JPY/KRW uses this series · for USD/KRW, the report uses the 15:30 daytime-session close as authoritative
- 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 6,471.17 (−5.80%, official Aug. 19 close) O 6,528.77 · H 6,614.39 · L 6,400.81 / KOSDAQ 824.46 (−1.17%) O 810.08 · H 840.50 · L 804.02 / KOSPI 200 1,012.61 (−6.41%, closing basis) / stock counts: KOSPI 171 up · 3 limit-up · 32 flat · 703 down · 0 limit-down; KOSDAQ 396 up · 6 limit-up · 58 flat · 1,275 down · 3 limit-down / turnover: KOSPI KRW22.94tn (82% of 5-day average) · KOSDAQ KRW6.13tn (84%): dashboard (Naver Finance daily index data · KRX source, raw-data header 08.19 14:02:02 ICT = 16:02 KST)· Closing-market commentary cross-checked with Yonhap News·Herald Business .· The 5-session cumulative +1.98% is compounded versus the Aug. 11 close of 6,345.53; the Aug. 11 close is back-calculated from the Aug. 12 close of 6,579.04 and the +233.51-point change, cross-checked against Rolling Log 04· For USD/KRW, the authoritative figure is the 15:30 daytime-session close of 1,397.70 (-KRW14.10· back in the 1,300s for the first time in about 10½ months)(Yonhap News; the reference rate at the same time, 1,398.00, is a dashboard value from a different series and is shown only for reference, not mixed into day-on-day comparisons· JPY/KRW per ¥100 at 878.36 (prior 883.69) uses the reference-rate series
- Sell-sidecar Triggered Aug. 19 at 09:06 · KOSPI 200 futures fell 6.02% from the 1,078.26 reference price to 1,013.26 · 48th sidecar of the year (25 sell-side · 23 buy-side): Herald Business· Intraday index and stock figures in the same article were live quotes and not used in the report; only trigger time, reference price and count were cited
- Investor-Level Totals(Naver Finance investor-flow data, Aug. 19 close) KOSPI retail +KRW4.6356tn and foreign investors -KRW3.4884tn and institutions -KRW1.3231tn / KOSDAQ Retail -KRW71.6bn and foreign investors +KRW14.7bn and institutions +KRW49.9bn· Program Trading Automated multi-stock orders · a channel through which indexes and investor flows move KOSPI Arbitrage -KRW190.4bn· Non-arbitrage -KRW3.3721tn· Total -KRW3.5625tn, KOSDAQ arbitrage +KRW34.9bn· Non-arbitrage -KRW6.7bn· Total +KRW28.2bn· Cash–futures closing gap +1.49 (cash 1,012.61 · futures 1,014.10 · Sep. 2026 contract, expiry 2026-09, different close times → not a same-time basis measure)· 5-session cumulative (Aug. 12–19) KOSPI foreign +KRW4.58tn and institutions -KRW1.94tn· Retail -KRW2.53tn, KOSDAQ foreign -KRW312bn and institutions -KRW881bn, K200 futures foreign -KRW578bn and institutions +KRW173bn· KOSPI200 futures (KRX derivatives, value basis) Foreign -KRW84bn and institutions +KRW553bn· Retail -KRW341bn· Aggregate series (Naver) and stock-level series (KRX) cover different market scopes · no cross-aggregation or share calculations· Reported retail-flow figures vary by outlet from +KRW4.3978tn to +KRW4.6368tn; the report uses only the Naver Finance series from the dashboard
- Stock-Level Investor Flows KRX investor trading data (entire stock market · regular-session final, raw-data header 08.19 14:06:21 ICT = collected at 16:06 KST). Foreign net sells: SK Hynix -KRW1.8256tn· Samsung Electronics -KRW1.0422tn· SK Square -KRW216.5bn· Samsung Electro-Mechanics -KRW149.9bn· Samsung Electronics Preferred -KRW133.8bn· Hanwha Aerospace -KRW92.8bn, foreign net buys: Kiwoom Securities +KRW27.5bn· Korea Investment Holdings +KRW27.1bn· Samsung Securities +KRW22.6bn· Hanmi Semiconductor +KRW18.4bn· DB HiTek +KRW15.3bn / institutional net buys: Hanwha Aerospace +KRW55.4bn·HPSP +KRW35.8bn· Isu Petasys +KRW32.4bn· Silicon2 +KRW26.9bn· Hyundai E&C +KRW23.8bn, institutional net sells: Samsung Electronics -KRW733.4bn· SK Hynix -KRW471.8bn·NAVER -KRW43.1bn· Samsung Electronics Preferred -KRW41.6bn· KEPCO -KRW33.1bn / retail net buys: SK Hynix +KRW2.2185tn· Samsung Electronics +KRW1.6947tn· SK Square +KRW233.4bn· Samsung Electronics Preferred +KRW166.3bn· Samsung Electro-Mechanics +KRW140.5bn, retail net sells: HPSP -KRW48.9bn· Hyundai E&C -KRW26.2bn· Alteogen -KRW22.8bn. Sum of foreign net-sell stocks -KRW4.1511tn · sum of net-buy stocks +KRW666.9bn · two large caps -KRW2.8678tn; sum of retail net-buy stocks +KRW5.2642tn · two large caps +KRW3.9132tn; all amounts are sums of raw values then rounded, with no ratios calculated against the investor-total series· Flow Concentration Share of each direction's total accounted for by the top net-buy/net-sell stocks · KRX data Foreign sell TOP1 44% · TOP5 81%; buy TOP1 4% · TOP5 17%; institutional buy TOP1 9% · TOP5 28%; sell TOP1 39% · TOP5 70% are from the same dashboard and match recalculation from the Excel raw data
- Final Stock Closing Prices Samsung Electronics KRW247,500 (−7.82%· market cap KRW1,447.0tn) · SK Hynix KRW1,500,000 (−9.75%· KRW1,095.7tn) · Samsung Electronics Preferred KRW173,700 (−7.75%) · SK Square KRW1,004,000 (−11.54%) · Samsung Electro-Mechanics KRW1,387,000 (−3.68%) · Hyundai Motor KRW414,000 (−4.83%) · LG Energy Solution KRW357,500 (+1.85%) · Samsung Biologics KRW1,544,000 (+0.85%) · Hanwha Aerospace KRW1,177,000 (+2.71%) · KB Financial KRW166,400 (−1.25%): top KRX market-cap stocks · regular-session closing prices (dashboard; source: Naver Finance)· Short Selling Sell borrowed shares → bet on a decline · turnover basis Market-wide short-selling turnover: KOSPI KRW1.98tn (6.7% of market turnover) · KOSDAQ KRW0.33tn (4.6%); top turnover: Samsung Electronics KRW421.9bn (5.7%) · SK Hynix KRW392.9bn (4.7%) · Samsung Electro-Mechanics KRW96.2bn (6.7%) · Hanmi Semiconductor KRW49.5bn (27.1%) · Hanwha Aerospace KRW48.5bn (7.4%); top shares: KT 44.3% · Korea Aerospace Industries 41.5% · Krafton 38.1% · SK Networks 37.1% · Chunbo 35.5%, all from the same dashboard (regular-session final · KRX+NXT combined · collected at 16:01 KST)
- Aug. 18 U.S. market final Dow 53,343.40 (−0.22%)·S&P500 7,691.76(−0.69%) · Nasdaq 26,289.71 (−1.33%)·SOX 11,992.46(−4.98%)·VIX 15.84(+4.28%) · U.S. 10Y 4.706%: dashboard (Naver Finance · Yahoo-derived series) and Financial News .· Individual stocks: Micron −7.02%· SK Hynix ADR −9.20%· SanDisk −9.01%· Intel −6.58%· Meta −4.45%· Nvidia −2.34%· Apple +1.45% also from the same article· The U.S. 30Y on Aug. 18 intraday reached the 5.33% range, the highest since 2007(CNBC·24/7 Wall St.·Edaily)· Intraday highs differ by data feed from 5.32% to 5.34% and are not confirmed as the closing yield. The report therefore states only “intraday 5.33% range,” does not quote a closing level or bp change, and omits the 30Y row from the P2 table(24/7 Wall St. reported 5.323% intraday before a pullback to 5.282%)· The U.S. 10Y 4.706% is the dashboard closing yield; media live quotes in the 4.73% range refer to a different time, so it is not compared side by side with the 30Y intraday high· YTD gains: Micron +255%· SanDisk +653%· Western Digital +211%; the interpretation that this was “about the discount rate, not earnings expectations” comes from 24/7 Wall St.· The stock moves in that article were intraday figures, so the report cites only YTD gains and the interpretation, not those intraday returns
- U.S. July import prices(released Aug. 18 at 21:30 KST) m/m −0.4%· consensus +0.1% · y/y +5.9%· June −0.3% revised to · petroleum −7.5%· ex-petroleum +0.3%: NewsPim· The actual export-price figure from the same release could not be confirmed, so the table marks it as unavailable· Consensus is from the Econoday economist survey; fields with unclear compilation sources are not used
- Bank of Korea Q2 2026 Household Credit (Preliminary)(released Aug. 19 at 12:00) balance KRW2,019.8tn · q/q +KRW25.9tn(prior quarter +KRW14.8tn) · largest increase in 19 quarters · household loans KRW1,891.3tn (+KRW24.9tn) · housing-related +KRW12.2tn· other loans +KRW12.8tn· sales credit KRW128.5tn (+KRW900bn): Financial News
- Sectors & Themes Naver Finance sector/theme prices (regular-session final, raw-data header 08.19 14:00:15 ICT = collected at 16:00 KST). Among 79 sectors: 10 up · 0 flat · 69 down; among 219 themes: 16 up · 203 down· The composition of the 219-theme snapshot differs by 33 entries from Aug. 18. HBM, MLCC and Semiconductor Materials/Parts were absent from the Aug. 19 snapshot, so they were excluded from cross-day comparisons; only items present on both days were compared· History of No. 1 sector changes (Aug. 12 Electronic Products · Aug. 13 Electronic Equipment & Instruments · Aug. 14 Wireless Telecom Services · Aug. 18 Marine Transportation · Aug. 19 Leisure Equipment & Products) cross-checked against Rolling Log 04 and the prior published report
- Asian markets · market backdrop Nikkei −2.75%·TOPIX −2.76%·CSI300 −2.41%· Shanghai Composite −1.96%· Hang Seng +0.17%: Investing.com· Shinhan Securities strategist Kim Gi-baek commented that “the synchronized rise in global long-term yields highlighted discount-rate pressure on growth stocks and concerns over capital spending” (Edaily)· Both articles were written intraday, so their index and stock-price figures were not cited
- SK Hynix Decision to Acquire and Cancel Treasury Shares(Aug. 19 board) purchase amount KRW40.0043tn · 24.07mn common shares · about 3.3% of 730.49mn shares outstanding · purchase period Aug. 20–Nov. 19, about three months · open-market purchases · full cancellation after acquisition · reference price KRW1,662,000, the close one day before the board meeting · shareholder returns expanded to at least 50% of cumulative 2025–2027 free cash flow: NewsPim·Etoday·Edaily .· Daily purchase limit 2.407mn shares · SK Securities mandated as broker · plan to disclose dividend-expansion measures with Q3 results in October· The company newsroom source was unavailable at publication time, so the filing details were cross-checked across three media outlets· The 16:10 after-hours price of KRW1,601,000 comes from NewsPim· Media calculated the after-hours percentage move against the Aug. 18 close, which differs from a same-day-close basis, so only the price is shown and the percentage change is omitted· Because the filing came after the 15:30 close, it is excluded from the 45:55 next-session probability and appears only under upside support and next-flow scenarios
- Upcoming calendar · consensus U.S. July FOMC minutes Aug. 20 at 03:00 KST (Aug. 19 14:00 ET) · China August LPR expected unchanged at 3.0% 1Y and 3.5% 5Y · Korea July PPI Aug. 21 at 06:00 (June y/y +8.6%) · NVIDIA FY2027 Q2 revenue consensus $91.85bn · adjusted EPS $2.08; company guidance $91bn ±2% · Aug. 27 BOK Monetary Policy Board (current policy rate 2.75%) · MSCI August review: one Korea addition, LG Innotek, and four deletions, effective at the Aug. 31 close; same source series as the prior report, with no value changes· NVIDIA EPS consensus ranges from $2.08 to $2.18 across compilations; the report uses $2.08· The final Japan July trade-balance figure released Aug. 19 could not be confirmed, so it is omitted from the narrative, tables and supporting evidence
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.
