Seoul Stocks Plunge Over 5% as Investors Lock In Semiconductor Profits

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks plunged by more than over 5 percent Monday, as investors went to lock in profits of semiconductor heavyweights following a record surge the previous session. The local currency fell against the greenback.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 338 points, or 5.12 percent, to 6,257.45.

The index surged by nearly 18 percent on Friday.

Trade volume was low at 270.9 million shares worth 26.1 trillion won (US$18.2 billion). Winners slightly outnumbered losers 454 to 417.

Foreigners and institutional investors were net sellers, offloading a combined net 4.77 trillion won. Retail investors snatched up a net 4.65 trillion won.

The market was weighed down by foreign investors who went profit-taking, especially in semiconductor stocks, Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst from Daishin Securities, said.

Shares of SK hynix and Samsung Electronics -- the country's two chip giants -- rose by almost the daily permissible limit Friday on the assessment that the unwinding of leveraged exchange-traded funds is nearing its end.

Investor sentiment was also partially lifted on declining oil prices after U.S. President Donald Trump said he has canceled a potentially massive military assault on Iran.

Meanwhile, daily turnover in single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) fell sharply on the second day of new government measures raising the minimum cash deposit required to invest in the products to 30 million won from 10 million won, effective Friday.

Daily trading volume in 16 single-stock leveraged ETFs tracking Samsung Electronics or SK hynix totaled 1.2 trillion won, down sharply from 12.4 trillion won Thursday.

Large-cap shares closed mixed.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics tumbled 8.76 percent to 239,500 won, and industry rival SK hynix shed 8.79 percent to 1,567,000 won.

Oil refiners lost ground amid a decline in oil prices following the easing of U.S.-Iran tensions.

S-Oil fell 4.4 percent to 121,700 won, and GS, which owns the refiner GS Caltex, dipped 4.94 percent to 84,600 won.

Among the winners were Hyundai Motor, which rose 1.29 percent to 393,000 won, and defense giant Hanwha Aerospace, which inched up 0.22 percent to 919,000 won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,429.8 won against the U.S. dollar, as of 3:30 p.m., down 5.8 won from the close of stock trading the day before.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 1.6 basis points to 3.742 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds dropped 0.1 basis point to 4.014 percent.