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(Photo= Yonhap news) |
[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Sangjin] On the 5th, Asian stock markets, including South Korea's, experienced a dramatic collapse, marking the worst day ever. The KOSPI index lost approximately 192 trillion won in market capitalization, while the Nikkei 225 in Japan plummeted by over 12%, recording its largest drop ever. The downturn is attributed to growing concerns about a U.S. economic recession and escalating war tensions in the Middle East, which have dampened investor sentiment.
On this day, the KOSPI closed at 2,441.55, down 234.64 points (8.77%) from the previous trading day (2,776.19). Both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets triggered a sidecar suspension (temporary halt of program trading) followed by a circuit breaker (temporary suspension of trading). This was the sixth time a circuit breaker was activated on the KOSPI and the tenth on the KOSDAQ.
Among major KOSPI-listed stocks, Samsung Electronics, the index's largest component, saw a dramatic 10.30% drop, ending at 71,400 won. This is the largest decline since the financial crisis on October 24, 2008. SK Hynix fell by 9.87%.
Other notable decliners included LG Energy Solution (-4.17%), Samsung Biologics (-2.31%), Hyundai Motor (-8.20%), Celltrion (-5.73%), Kia (-10.20%), and KB Financial (-7.69%).
The KOSDAQ index closed at 691.28, down 88.05 points (11.30%) from the previous close.
In terms of trading activity, foreign investors and institutions net bought 5.445 trillion won and 1.189 trillion won worth of stocks, respectively, while individual investors sold 6.796 trillion won worth of stocks.
알파경제 Kim SangJin (letyou@alphabiz.co.kr)