[KOSPI Closes at 2600 Amid Foreign Sell-Off and Plummeting Secondary Battery Stocks]

# KOSPI Ends Flat at 2,600 Amid Foreign Selling and Declines in Battery Stocks The KOSPI Index on the 20th failed to maintain its intraday upward momentum, closing marginally lower at the crucial 2,600 level. Declines in secondary battery stocks and foreign investor selling dampened market sentiment. The KOSPI ended the session down 1.62 points, or 0.06%, at 2,601.80. Early in the session, the index climbed as high as 2,622.68, surpassing the 2,600 mark, but gains faded as the session progressed. Although it briefly fell below the key threshold during intraday trading, it managed to hold above 2,600 at the close. In the main board (KOSPI market), foreign investors were net sellers for the second consecutive day, offloading a net 114.3 billion won worth of shares. Meanwhile, individual and institutional investors were net buyers, purchasing 20.4 billion won and 60.9 billion won worth of equities, respectively. # Sector Performance: Machinery Rises, Transportation and Chemicals Fall By sector, machinery and equipment gained 3.20%, followed by electricity and gas, up 2.67%, and paper and wood, which rose 2.48%. On the other hand, transportation equipment (-1.70%), chemicals (-1.65%), and transportation and storage (-1.43%) posted declines. Among large-cap stocks, semiconductor names provided some support, with Samsung Electronics gaining 0.18% and SK Hynix advancing 1.30%. However, both stocks pared early gains by the end of the session. Financial stocks also showed strength, with KB Financial climbing 1.37%, Shinhan Financial Group rising 3.26%, and Hana Financial Group up 1.81%. In contrast, LG Energy Solution tumbled 4.12% to close at 279,500 won, logging an all-time low. Other secondary battery stocks followed suit, with POSCO Future M plunging 6.35%, Samsung SDI losing 4.66%, LG Chem slipping 3.12%, and EcoPro Materials declining 4.31%. All these stocks hit fresh 52-week lows. Other notable decliners included Hyundai Motor (-0.79%), Hanwha Aerospace (-2.86%), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (-6.26%). On the upside, electric equipment-related stocks rallied, with LS Electric surging 8.14%, Gaon Cable climbing 11.42%, and HD Hyundai Electric advancing 7.42%. # KOSDAQ Outperforms, Closes Slightly Higher Meanwhile, the KOSDAQ Index edged up 1.80 points, or 0.25%, to close at 715.55. The index spiked as much as 1.2% in early trading to reach 719.36 but later trimmed gains. In the KOSDAQ market, foreign and institutional investors were net buyers, purchasing 52.9 billion won and 58.1 billion won worth of securities, respectively. Individual investors, however, were net sellers, offloading 73.9 billion won. Secondary battery names remained under pressure in the junior board. EcoPro BM dropped 5.76%, and EcoPro slid 6.58%. In healthcare and biotech, Peptone climbed 3.31%, Pharma Research advanced 4.14%, and Ligakem Bio surged 7.50%. On the flip side, HLB declined 1.12%, Classys fell 3.17%, and Samchundang Pharm slumped 6.03%. # Analyst Commentary Kyung-Min Lee, a researcher at Daishin Securities, commented, "The KOSPI exhibited a lack of clear momentum for a rebound, leading to a cautious, wait-and-see trading environment." # Currency Markets In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar, with the currency pair closing at 1,392.40 won per dollar, down 5.4 won from the previous session.