KOSPI Rebounds 5.89% After SK Hynix Unveils KRW 40 Trillion Buyback-and-Cancellation Plan
SK Hynix rose 12.73% and Samsung Electronics 9.49% as foreign buying helped drive KOSPI's rebound. KOSDAQ had more advancers than decliners but gained only 1.99%.
Foreign buying focused on SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics after SK Hynix announced a KRW 40 trillion share repurchase and cancellation plan. KOSPI rebounded 5.89%, while KOSDAQ gained 1.99%.
Large-cap chip stocks led the 5.89% rebound
| Market | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| KOSPI | 6,852.58 | +5.89% |
| KOSDAQ | 840.89 | +1.99% |
KOSPI opened at 6,680.34, reached an intraday high of 6,904.55 and closed at 6,852.58. KOSDAQ opened at 843.99 but ended below its opening level at 840.89. The USD/KRW reference rate was 1,402.50.
SK Hynix said that its board the previous day approved the repurchase of KRW 40 trillion of its own shares and the cancellation of all of them. The company also said it would return at least 50% of cash remaining after business operations and investment to shareholders over the next three years. Its shares closed 12.73% higher at KRW 1.691 million. Samsung Electronics ended 9.49% higher at KRW 271,000. The gains in these two large-market-cap stocks widened the performance gap between KOSPI and KOSDAQ.
Foreign buying targeted Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix
Unit: KRW billion
| Market | Retail | Foreign | Institutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOSPI | -2,271.2 | +1,707.9 | -490.6 |
| KOSDAQ | +0.7 | -127.7 | +112.5 |
Foreign investors bought a net KRW 1.7079 trillion in KOSPI. Net purchases of Samsung Electronics totaled KRW 1.1398 trillion, while net purchases of SK Hynix were KRW 541.0 billion. The two stocks accounted for most of foreign investors' net buying in KOSPI. Retail investors sold a net KRW 2.2712 trillion and institutions sold a net KRW 490.6 billion in the market.
In KOSDAQ, institutions bought a net KRW 112.5 billion, while foreign investors sold a net KRW 127.7 billion. Advancing stocks numbered 1,064, compared with 576 decliners, but the index gain was smaller than KOSPI's, where foreign buying and gains in large-cap chip stocks occurred together.
Next-session checkpoints
- Continued foreign net buying in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix
- SK Hynix's ability to retain its post-announcement gain
- A shift in KOSDAQ foreign flows from net selling to net buying
Sources
- Npay Securities KOSPI, 새 창에서 열림 — August 20, 2026 closing index, investor flows and advance-decline counts
- Npay Securities KOSDAQ, 새 창에서 열림 — August 20, 2026 closing index, investor flows and advance-decline counts
- Bank of Korea ECOS, 새 창에서 열림 — August 20, 2026 USD/KRW reference rate
- Yonhap News Agency, 새 창에서 열림 — August 20, 2026 closes for SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, foreign net buying by stock and the SK Hynix shareholder-return announcement
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