Seoul shares plunge 9% on tech stock sell-off amid Mideast tensions
En resumen
- Seoul shares plummeted 8.95% on Monday, with the KOSPI index closing down 669.01 points at 6,806.93.
- Investors offloaded technology stocks for profit-taking, influenced by renewed Middle East tensions and volatility from new single-stock leveraged ETFs.
- The Korean won also weakened against the U.S. dollar.
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Por qué importa
Seoul shares experienced a significant plunge, with the KOSPI index falling 8.95 percent. This decline was driven by investors selling off technology stocks for profit-taking, influenced by renewed tensions in the Middle East and the introduction of new single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds.
SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- Seoul shares plunged 9 percent Monday as investors dumped technology stocks for profit-taking amid renewed tensions in the Middle East. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 669.01 points, or 8.95 percent, to close at 6,806.93 after falling as low as 6,783.43.
Trade volume was moderate at 469.86 million shares worth 39.8 trillion won (US$26.5 billion), with decliners far outnumbering gainers 713 to 179.
Institutions and foreigners sold a net 2.22 trillion won and 1.7 trillion won worth of shares, respectively, while individuals bought a net 3.9 trillion won.
After opening 0.85 percent lower, the KOSPI extended its losses, triggering a circuit breaker that temporarily halted trading of KOSPI-listed stocks for 20 minutes. It marked the seventh activation of the measure this year.
On Friday, U.S. stocks advanced, buoyed by South Korean chipmaker SK hynix's multibillion-dollar U.S. share offering. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.29 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also rose 0.29 percent.
SK hynix's American depositary receipts (ADRs) on the Nasdaq closed at US$168 each, well above the offering price of $149.
Despite the successful U.S. market debut, SK hynix shares tumbled as investors took profits and shifted to the company's ADRs, analysts said.
Investor sentiment was also dampened by heightened uncertainty in the Middle East after the United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes over the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
"The country's newly introduced single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds linked to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix continued to fuel volatility in the stock market," Samsung Securities said in a research note.
Tech stocks led the decline.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics plunged 10.7 percent to 254,500 won, while its chipmaking rival SK hynix plummeted 15.37 percent to 1,845,000 won.
Top carmaker Hyundai Motor fell 2.95 percent to 444,000 won, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace declined 3.21 percent to 936,000 won.
Among gainers, leading battery maker LG Energy Solution rose 0.77 percent, and leading refiner SK Innovation climbed 7.09 percent to 110,200 won.
The Korean won was quoted at 1,503.4 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., down 2 won from the previous session.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 4.1 basis points to 3.809 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds climbed 3.3 basis points at 4.041 percent.
Qué observar
Perspectiva de IA — posibilidades, no hechos
Continued volatility in KOSPI due to ongoing Mideast tensions and ETF impact.
Probable · Corto plazo
Preguntas abiertas
- Will Mideast tensions escalate further?
- How will new ETFs impact market volatility long-term?
- Will institutional and foreign selling continue?
