MONEY RADAR
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MARKET BRIEFING · KOREA

The index slipped only about one percent, yet all 43 semiconductor stocks fell and the only gains were in robotics and medical AI.

October 26, 2026 · Read the Korean original

Major indices

  • KOSPI 5,469.47 -1.46%
  • KOSDAQ 727.21 -3.26%

Judged by the index alone this looks like a mild one percent pullback, but at the stock level the day was far rougher. The KOSPI closed 1.46% lower at 5,469.47 and the KOSDAQ 3.26% lower at 727.21, while on the KOSPI 128 stocks rose against 767 that fell, and on the KOSDAQ 435 rose against 1,243 that fell. Across both markets only 2 stocks set 252-session highs while 75 set new lows, so individual holdings felt worse than the index suggested.

Semiconductors sat at the center of that gap. SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS fell only 1.16% and SK hynix only 0.16%, which cushioned the index, yet not one of the 43 stocks we classify as semiconductors managed a gain and the group fell 5.39% on average, with equipment and materials names hit much harder than the large caps. Companies reporting results drew especially harsh verdicts, as BNK Financial Group and HD Hyundai Marine Solution each dropped more than 13% after third-quarter net profit missed market expectations, while the gains clustered in robotics and medical artificial intelligence, where Lunit hit its daily limit on news that it will jointly research next-generation immuno-oncology treatments with a US biotech firm. Industry and stock moves are laid out in the sector highlights below.

The money leaving equities left traces in both yields and the currency. The 10-year Korea treasury yield fell 2.3 basis points to 4.074% and the 3-year fell 1.4 basis points to 3.789%, while the won firmed 0.3 won to 1,324.3 per dollar, its strongest level in roughly six months. Investor deposits as of October 22 stood at 88.6842 trillion won, 8.2279 trillion won below the October 15 reading five observations earlier, so the cash waiting on the sidelines is thinning quickly, yet margin loans on the same date rose 92.3 billion won to 30.3633 trillion won, meaning leveraged positions have yet to be unwound. KOSPI non-arbitrage program trading showing net selling of 653.7 billion won on the day points the same way, toward institutional money stepping back.

What weighed on the market was not one catalyst but a calendar. SBS Biz and Maeil Business Newspaper pointed to the combination of the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting, US big tech earnings and third-quarter results from SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS and SK hynix all falling in the same week, and Busan Ilbo reported that foreign investors sold close to 700 billion won of KOSPI stocks. Korea's weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets index was 18.73% as of October 23, still 5.86 percentage points below its June peak, a reminder that foreign selling is not a one-day affair. Where money did go was clear enough: the bio industry, whose strongest segment is medical devices and diagnostics, led our chain rankings, and the KIWOOM Medical AI ETF gained 3.37% for the day's best return.

A note on what is established and what is inferred. Index levels, advance and decline counts, industry and stock returns, and the yield, currency and fund figures are compiled values, though fund data is reported with a lag: investor deposits and margin loans are as of October 22 and the MSCI weights as of October 23. Reading foreign selling and caution ahead of the FOMC and earnings as the cause of the decline is an inference drawn from press and brokerage commentary, while Lunit's research tie-up and the earnings misses at BNK Financial Group and HD Hyundai Marine Solution are facts confirmed by reporting. Explaining the 13.64% drop in VINA TECH, which came after a convertible bond filing, by funding pressure alone appears difficult.

Watchlist stocks by industry

Robotics & automation +1.17% · 2 of 5 up

Bio & healthcare -1.55% · 2 of 34 up

Steel & metals -3.84% · 0 of 14 up

Shipbuilding -4.18% · 0 of 15 up

Semiconductors -5.39% · 0 of 43 up

Hydrogen -6.86% · 0 of 5 up

Sources (Korean-language)

This market briefing was compiled by AI from this site's own price and filing data together with public news reports, and translated from the Korean original. Please check the sources below before relying on it.

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