South Korean stocks ended the year 2022 down 24.9 percent to mark its first annual loss in four years due to global monetary tightening and economic recession woes.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed Thursday at 2,236.40 points, representing a 24.9 percent plunge for 2022.
The KOSPI got off to 2,988.77 points on its first session on Jan. 3, and had been on a downward spiral, hitting a low of 2,155.49 on Sept. 30.
The KOSPI posted a 7.7 percent jump in 2019, a 30.8 percent increase in 2020, and a 3.6 percent surge in 2021.
Along with the decline in trading volume, there has been a decline in market optimism.
The aggressive tightening of monetary policies by major central banks, particularly the US Federal Reserve, is blamed by the Korea Exchange (KRX) for the KOSPI's underwhelming performance.
The policies were aimed at fighting inflation caused by high energy prices and a post-pandemic rebound in demand.
KOSPI’s performance in 2022 ranked 25th out of the benchmark stock indexes in 27 economies, including G-20 and other Asian countries.


Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates
Uber Ordered to Pay $8.5 Million in Bellwether Sexual Assault Lawsuit
Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links
Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound
Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 



