Overview
- The KOSPI opened about 3.29 percent lower and had pared some losses by mid-morning, trading down roughly 2.0–2.6 percent as retail buying lifted prices from the session low.
- U.S. moves set the tone for trading after producers’ prices rose 0.4 percent for August and a surge in oil and Middle East tensions pushed U.S. stocks lower overnight.
- Large-cap technology stocks drove most of the fall, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix among the heaviest decliners and other exporters like Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution also down.
- Individual investors were net buyers in the morning while institutional and foreign investors were net sellers, with net flows showing roughly 1.68 trillion won bought by retail and more than 1 trillion won sold by institutions and foreigners.
- Traders are watching Friday’s U.S. consumer price report for clues on the Federal Reserve’s next moves and tracking oil and Middle East developments for further market spillovers, while the won traded slightly stronger near 1,347 per dollar.