KOSPI Composite Stock Price Index breaks through 4600 points during trading... Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix lead the charge to "reach a new all-time high"

KOSPI(KOSPI), South Korea’s Composite Stock Price Index, on January 7, 2026, for the first time during trading broke through the 4600-point mark driven by a rally in US tech stocks, then fluctuated repeatedly, ultimately closing at 4551.06 points, once again setting a new record for the highest closing price.

This rise is interpreted as benefiting from the major US stock indices rallying overnight after leading tech companies announced artificial intelligence(AI) investment plans. Especially at the world’s largest electronics trade show “CES 2026” held in Las Vegas, NV, NVIDIA CEO expressed an optimistic outlook on the memory semiconductor industry, which pushed the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index up for three consecutive days, directly boosting the prices of domestic Korean semiconductor stocks.

Foreign investors net bought approximately 12.516 trillion KRW on the Korea Exchange, leading the index higher. Notably, Samsung Electronics’ stock price broke through 140,000 KRW per share during trading for the first time, SK Hynix reached the 760,000 KRW range, and the semiconductor sector led the market rally. Additionally, Hyundai Motor, which is positioning robotics technology as a future growth driver, surged over 13%, hitting a 52-week high, with other major large-cap stocks like Kia and Samsung Biologics also rising in tandem.

However, the market was not a one-sided rally all day. Reports indicated that China will ban exports of dual-use military and civilian materials, including advanced materials and components, to Japan, which dampened investor sentiment in the second half of the day. Such measures could severely impact global supply chains for rare earth elements and semiconductor materials, becoming a source of market unease. In fact, among domestic Korean rare earth stocks, Union Materials hit the daily limit-up for direct gains, but overall market pressure remained.

On the other hand, the KOSDAQ(KOSDAQ) index declined by 0.90% compared to the previous trading day, closing at 947.39 points. Foreign and institutional investors net sold 192.6 billion KRW and 101.5 billion KRW respectively, dominating the decline. Although individual investors net bought 312.8 billion KRW, this was not enough to prevent the downward trend. Some biotech stocks rose, but major component stocks like EcoPro BM declined simultaneously, suppressing the index’s bottom.

In terms of overall market trading volume, the stock exchange’s total was 29.114 trillion KRW, and the KOSDAQ market’s was 11.4 trillion KRW, indicating continued active trading in both markets recently. Especially the day before Samsung Electronics released its earnings report, some analysts believed that short-term earnings expectations might support the stock price.

This trend is expected to continue fluctuating in the short term, presenting a complex picture of performance expectations centered on tech stocks intertwined with geopolitical risks. Core large-cap stocks may continue to drive gains, but instability in global supply chains and China’s foreign policies could also pose obstacles.