South Korea’s Kospi ended 1.76% higher Monday after reversing a sharp opening decline, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.62%, leaving the two markets with different results after last week’s regional selloff.
The Kospi gained 99.96 points to close at 5,768.01, Yonhap reported. It opened 3.17% lower and touched 5,488.41 before recovering. Japan’s Nikkei 225 finished at 64,916.70, down 407.59 points, according to the index’s published data.
Samsung Electronics rose 1.16% to 218,000 won, and SK hynix advanced 0.39% to 1.28 million won. Both chipmakers had recorded steeper losses than the Kospi during the previous week’s downturn.
Yonhap reported that institutions bought a net 574.66 billion won ($432 million) of South Korean shares. Foreign investors sold a net 37.87 billion won, while retail investors sold a net 1.09 trillion won.
Both benchmarks had fallen in the Oct. 15 regional selloff. The Kospi lost 7.57% that day, and the Nikkei 225 declined 4.9%. The South Korean index briefly dropped more than 8%, prompting a trading pause.
Monday’s gains in South Korea were uneven. Hyundai Motor rose 4.49%, and Hanwha Aerospace gained 1.91%. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries fell 1.71%, while Hanwha Ocean declined 1.23%.
IBK Securities suggested that some investors saw value in large stocks after the recent declines and that their purchases may have helped the Kospi recover. The brokerage also pointed to continuing concern about spending on AI infrastructure.
Analysts cited by Yonhap said investors were cautious ahead of earnings from Tesla and Meta Platforms due this week. Yonhap also identified the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections and uncertainty about interest rates as issues on investors’ calendar.
