10:00verdict at this hour
KOSPI Gaps Higher at Open, Semiconductors Lead Broad Reversal
The KOSPI opened Thursday, August 20 (2026) at 6,672.39, gapping up sharply from Wednesday’s close, as SK hynix and Samsung Electronics surged in early trade on the back of overnight AI-chip deal headlines and a U.S. Treasury debt-buyback announcement that pulled the 10-year yield lower.By 09:52, the index had climbed to 6,756.70 — though a confirmed closing figure is not yet available at this hour — while the KOSDAQ, after touching a session low of 835.33 at 09:25, stabilised near 840; both markets are trading with multiple cross-currents in play and no single cause can be assigned.
10:00Snapshot
A window that records the market at that hour, like a photograph
Overseas Backdrop: U.S. Treasuries Stabilise on Buyback Move; Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX)A U.S. equity index tracking roughly 30 major semiconductor design and manufacturing companies, widely used as a real-time barometer for global chip-sector sentiment.Korean chip heavyweights such as SK hynix and Samsung Electronics tend to correlate with overnight SOX moves; a SOX drop on Wednesday night was cited in the morning KOSPI directional call. Slips as AI-Chip Deals Lift Individual Names
Top by trading value10— snapshot
A window on how the top trading-value names have moved up to this hour
SK hynix and Samsung Electronics Together Account for ₩2.53tn of KOSPI Turnover in First Hour
Through 09:52 on the KOSPI, SK hynix leads all names with ₩1,453.1bn in turnover, having touched a session low of 1,576,000 won at 09:08 before recovering; Samsung Electronics follows with ₩1,083.8bn, its intraday low of 252,500 won also printed at 09:07.On the KOSDAQ, Alteogen heads the board at ₩137.9bn, while Kolon TissueGene generated ₩73.5bn on heavy selling — the two stocks pulling the biotech sector in opposite directions within the first hour of trade.
| Stock | Prior close | Open | Gap | High (time) | Last at 10:00 | Change | Low (time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SK hynix | 1,500,000 | 1,613,000 | +7.53% | 1,663,000 (10:00) | 1,662,000 (10:00) | +10.80% | 1,576,000 (09:08) |
| Samsung Electronics | 247,500 | 257,000 | +3.84% | 264,000 (09:43) | 263,500 (10:00) | +6.46% | 252,500 (09:07) |
| Samsung Electro-Mechanics | 1,387,000 | 1,401,000 | +1.01% | 1,413,000 (09:50) | 1,408,000 (10:00) | +1.51% | 1,335,000 (09:03) |
| SK Square | 1,004,000 | 1,082,000 | +7.77% | 1,090,000 (09:54) | 1,086,000 (10:00) | +8.17% | 1,029,000 (09:07) |
| Samsung Electronics (Pref.) | 173,700 | 180,000 | +3.63% | 186,500 (10:00) | 186,500 (10:00) | +7.37% | 176,700 (09:08) |
| Pamicell | 11,380 | 14,770 | +29.79% | 14,790 (09:02) | 12,110 (10:00) | +6.41% | 11,380 (09:01) |
| SK eternix | 57,800 | 58,800 | +1.73% | 63,700 (09:43) | 62,000 (10:00) | +7.27% | 56,900 (09:01) |
| Samsung SDI | 487,000 | 493,000 | +1.23% | 514,000 (09:17) | 508,000 (10:00) | +4.31% | 493,500 (09:02) |
| Hanwha Aerospace | 1,177,000 | 1,190,000 | +1.10% | 1,190,000 (09:01) | 1,158,000 (10:00) | −1.61% | 1,144,000 (09:09) |
| NAVER | 208,000 | 210,500 | +1.20% | 221,000 (09:33) | 219,000 (10:00) | — | 209,500 (09:02) |
Samsung Electro-Mechanics printed its session high of 1,413,000 won as early as 09:50 and its low of 1,335,000 won at 09:03, a ₩78,000-won intraday range despite a modest net change; Hanwha Aerospace opened at 1,187,000 won but touched its high of 1,203,000 at the 09:00 open before sliding to a low of 1,144,000 at 09:09, moving counter to the broader chip-led advance.
Gainers5· Decliners5— snapshot
A window on the biggest gainers and decliners, and the reasons behind them
Chips and AI Software Gain; Biotech Split as Kolon TissueGene Drops More Than 20%
On the KOSPI through 09:52, advancers include SK hynix (+7.93%), Samsung Electronics (+4.65%), NAVER (+5.29%), Samsung Electronics preferred (+5.24%), and SK Square (+4.83%), while KB Financial (−2.70%), Shinhan Financial (−1.62%), and LS (−3.45%) are among the laggards, underscoring a rotation out of financials and power-grid names into tech.On the KOSDAQ, Alteogen is up +7.41% and ST Pharm +6.45%, but Kolon TissueGene has fallen −19.88% and HLB −7.48%, keeping the biotech sector map at −2.49% as a group — a wide internal dispersion that makes a sector-level read difficult at this hour.