[KRX deadline | October 6] KOSPI retreats to 6900 mark... KOSDAQ surges nearly 3%

KOSPI falls in 3 trading days due to net selling of 1.7 trillion won by foreign investors

KOSDAQ 920 mark in sight… HLB, cybersecurity, and secondary battery stocks are strong

On the 6th, the domestic stock market was mixed between KOSPI and KOSDAQ. While KOSPI fell after three trading days due to large-scale selling by foreign investors, KOSDAQ rose nearly 3% thanks to the strength of bio and secondary battery stocks.

According to the Korea Exchange, KOSPI ended trading at 6,941.39, down 62.35 points (0.89%) from the previous trading day. KOSDAQ closed at 919.92, up 26.63 points (2.98%). The won-dollar exchange rate ended the week at 1,343.6 won, down 0.4 won from the previous trading day.

KOSPI started higher the previous day due to the strength of U.S. technology stocks, but turned downward as foreign selling, centering on electrical and electronic stocks, expanded amid growing caution ahead of the announcement of provisional earnings of major domestic companies. By industry, transportation equipment and parts fell 1.4%, electricity and electronics fell 1.3%, pharmaceuticals fell 1.1%, and paper and wood fell 0.6%. Large-cap stocks fell 1.0%, while mid-cap and small-cap stocks rose 0.9% and 0.3%, respectively.

In terms of supply and demand, foreign investors sold net 1.75 trillion won, and institutions also had a selling advantage of 2 billion won. Individuals net purchased 742.1 billion won. Foreign Investors sold a net 1.5403 trillion won in electricity and electronics, and also net sold 105.9 billion won and 66.7 billion won in transportation equipment, parts and pharmaceuticals, respectively.

KOSDAQ rose the previous day as investment sentiment improved due to Nasdaq's record high and favorable news related to AI semiconductors. There was an influx of buying power from foreign investors and institutions, centering on secondary battery stocks. By industry, pharmaceuticals rose 4.6%, finance rose 4.5%, and machinery and equipment rose 3.9%. Foreign Investors and institutions made net purchases of 118.7 billion won and 101.3 billion won, respectively, while individuals net sold 208.5 billion won.

HLB Group and cybersecurity stocks surge together

HLB Group stocks showed strong performance as expectations for the re-approval of the liver cancer drug Rivoceranib in the U.S. grew. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) regular inspection of the Rivoceranib finished drug manufacturing facility concluded with a Voluntary Corrective Action Recommendation (VAI), reflecting expectations that uncertainty related to the manufacturing facility has been alleviated.

HLB (028300) rose 17.18%, HLB Pharmaceuticals (047920) rose 29.97%, and HLB Biostep (278650) rose 29.91%, all hitting the upper limit.

As security breaches continued to occur in the financial sector, buying power also focused on cybersecurity stocks. Sands Lab (411080) rose 30.00% and Raon Secure (042510) rose 29.98%, hitting the upper limit. AhnLab (053800) rose 15.58%, Pasu AI rose 15.60%, and Monitor Lab (434480) rose 11.23%.

Semiconductors and secondary batteries are strong... Individual positive factors such as orders and nuclear power plants are also highlighted.

In semiconductor stocks, Jusung Engineering (036930) soared 17.51% on expectations of improvement in industry conditions. Nextin (348210) rose 6.30% on the news that it had signed a contract to supply wafer inspection equipment worth 25.4 billion won with SK Hynix.

Secondary battery stocks also showed strength. Ecopro BM (247540) rose 11.41% and L&F (066970) rose 8.96% on expectations of recovery in the downstream industry.

LG Electronics (066570) rose 7.64% on news of a contract to supply cooling solutions for the North American AI Data Center (AIDC).

Wonil TNI (136150) rose 13.34% due to continued expectations of benefits from the expansion of construction of large nuclear power plants in the United States, and Almec (354320) rose 15.79% due to expectations of expansion of the North American aerospace business.

CS (065770) rose 18.89% on expectations for overseas repeater and CCTV business, and Samchundang Pharmaceutical (000250) rose 16.43% on expectations for new drug technology transfer.

On the other hand, Hanchang (005110) plummeted 31.25% due to continued liquidation sales following delisting. Neo Sapiens fell 16.60% after its new listing due to profit-taking listings.