KOSPI Strong Start, Weak Finish... Closes at 6,797.70 After 5% Surge During Session

The KOSPI closed up 49.75 points (0.74%) at 6,797.70, following a sharp 5% surge at the open fueled by foreign investor buying. However, institutional and individual selling constrained gains to under 1%. The index initially rose on strong U.S. semiconductor stock performance but retreated amid concerns over Alphabet's earnings and rising oil prices. Foreign investors bought 2.63 trillion won, while institutions and individuals sold 1.3868 trillion and 1.2278 trillion won, respectively. The KOSDAQ closed down 2.25 points (0.30%) at 751.09, with personal investors buying 263.8 billion won, while institutions and foreign investors sold 191.4 billion and 84.4 billion won. U.S. markets surged on AI accelerator expectations and robust semiconductor demand, spurring early buying in domestic tech stocks, but a pullback occurred as concerns over Alphabet's earnings and semiconductor industry dynamics emerged.