[Market Close Update] 'Wait-and-See Mode' Before South Korea-U.S. Trade Talks ⋯ KOSPI and KOSDAQ End Flat

# South Korea's KOSPI Falls Amid Institutional and Foreign Sell-Off Before U.S.-Korea Trade Talks South Korea's KOSPI index slightly decreased on October 24, as institutional and foreign investors shifted to selling ahead of upcoming trade consultations between the U.S. and Korea. According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI index closed at 2,522.33, down 3.23 points or 0.13% from the previous day. After opening at 2,525.34, a mere 0.01% lower than its prior close, the index displayed weakness throughout the day, except during early trading. On the main trading board, institutional investors net sold 198.4 billion won, while foreign investors offloaded 7.4 billion won. Conversely, retail investors stepped in, recording a net purchase of 134.8 billion won. # Mixed Results Across Sectors Shares across sectors exhibited mixed performances. Construction stocks increased by 2.07%, while machinery equipment, transportation equipment, and chemicals gained 1.34%, 0.85%, and 0.79%, respectively. Conversely, pharmaceutical stocks dropped 1.21%, followed by modest declines in general services (-0.91%), transportation & warehousing (-0.86%), and electrical & electronics (-0.78%). # Top Market Cap Stocks See More Declines Among the largest market cap stocks, more companies saw declines than gains. SK Hynix fell 1.49%, and LG Energy Solution dropped 2.15%, while other heavyweights like Samsung Biologics (-1.88%) and Hyundai Motor (-0.58%) also ended lower. However, select blue chips, including Hanwha Aerospace, which rose 1.23%, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries gaining 2.45%, and Hanwha Ocean climbing 1.25%, saw gains. # KOSDAQ Index Remains Flat as Foreign and Retail Investors Buy Meanwhile, the tech-heavy KOSDAQ index remained flat, closing unchanged at 726.08. On the KOSDAQ trading board, institutional investors were net sellers, unloading 31.5 billion won. In contrast, foreign investors and retail investors bought a net 5 billion won and 29.8 billion won, respectively. Among KOSDAQ’s top-listed firms, performances varied. Decliners included HLB (-1.25%), EcoPro BM (-0.4%), LegoChem Biosciences (-0.26%), and Alteogen (-0.13%). On the positive side, stocks like PharmaResearch gained 4.89%, Hugel rose 2.7%, and Clio advanced 2.56%, with EcoPro adding 1.01%. # Korean Won Weakens Against U.S. Dollar In currency markets, the Korean won weakened against the U.S. dollar. The won-dollar exchange rate climbed by 7.2 won to close at 1,434.4 won per dollar on the Seoul foreign exchange market. The trade negotiations between South Korea and the United States are being closely monitored by investors as both markets evaluate potential policy impacts amid broader economic uncertainty.