Korea’s KOSPI jumped 4.4% to close back above 7,000 as Alphabet’s earnings and raised AI capex guidance reignited chip sentiment. Foreign investors bought a net ~$1.5B of KOSPI shares, and the KOSDAQ’s 5.2% surge briefly tripped a buy-side sidecar.
Korea’s KOSPI jumped 3.56% to 6,747.95 as Samsung Electronics surged 6.15% and chip stocks led a rebound, tripping the year’s 19th buy-side sidecar. Foreign and institutional buying drove the bounce after a brutal three-week slide.
Korea runs two very different stock markets under one exchange operator. This guide explains how KOSPI and KOSDAQ differ in listing rules, sector mix, investor base, and tradable products – and walks through how to read the foreign-flow data that drives both.
Korea’s KOSPI fell 4.46% to 6,516.27 and the KOSDAQ lost 5.33% as semiconductor demand worries and US-Iran tensions triggered sell-side sidecars on both exchanges. Institutions led the selling while individuals and foreign investors bought the dip.
Tujaja yetakgeum — the cash retail investors keep parked at Korean brokerages — is the market’s most-watched measure of buying capacity. Here is what it measures, where KOFIA publishes it, and how to read it alongside margin loans without fooling yourself.
The KOSPI fell 6.37% to 6,820.60 as SK hynix dropped 11.5% and Samsung Electronics 8.8%, extending a July that has already seen six sessions with moves larger than 5% — on a day that also brought a Bank of Korea rate decision.
Korea’s KOSPI jumped 7.01% to 7,284.41 after a softer US CPI print eased Fed tightening fears, tripping buy sidecars on both exchanges. Foreign investors bought roughly $1.6 billion of KOSPI shares, but the index remains about 14% below its June 30 level.
The KOSPI rebounded 0.73% to 6,856.83 as foreign and institutional buyers scooped up semiconductor stocks after Monday’s 8.95% crash, while the KOSDAQ sank to a fresh year low. The Bank of Korea decides rates on Thursday.
Korea slows a crashing market in three layers: sidecars pause program trading at a 5% futures move, circuit breakers halt everything at index drops of 8%, 15%, and 20%, and volatility interruptions cool single stocks. Here is how each trigger works, in what order they fire, and how to read the flow data around a halt.
Where to find Korea’s weekly foreign investor net-buying data for the KOSPI, and how to read it. Foreign investors own roughly 30% of the market and set prices at the margin — including the July 2026 case where an 8-session, ₩28 trillion foreign selling streak flipped to buying at the exact turning point.