According to the Korea Exchange, the Kosdaq opened Thursday at 893.22, down 1.07 points, or 0.12%, from the previous session, but turned higher shortly after the open. As of 9:14 a.m., the index had reached an intraday high of 903.81. It has since swung around the 900 level.
Retail investors and institutions were net buyers, while foreign investors were net sellers. Most large-cap names were advancing, including Alteogen, Ecopro, Ecopro BM, Jusung Engineering and Rainbow Robotics.
The Kosdaq last traded above 900 intraday on July 2, when it hit an intraday high of 904.53 before closing at 866.72.
The Kospi opened at 6,938.27, down 33.08 points, or 0.47%. The index slipped to around 6,920 early in the session but has since trimmed its loss to about 0.1%.
Samsung Electronics was down more than 1%, while SK hynix was little changed. Samsung Electronics preferred shares, SK Square and Samsung Electro-Mechanics fell about 1%, while LG Energy Solution and KB Financial Group gained more than 1%.
"With the third-quarter earnings season beginning next week with Samsung Electronics' preliminary results, it is appropriate to put weight on a path in which the profit cycle remains intact and to prioritize a strategy of increasing exposure to artificial intelligence value chain sectors such as semiconductors, Kosdaq-listed materials, parts and equipment makers, and IT hardware," said Han Ji-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities.
