The KOSPI surged past the 8,000 mark this year, but the market showed clear polarization, with the number of stocks hitting 52-week highs nearly matching those hitting 52-week lows.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on Friday, of the 2,875 stocks listed on Korea's stock market, a total of 1,508 hit 52-week highs on a closing-price basis through December 12 this year. Of these, 545 were KOSPI stocks. Among the top 10 stocks by market capitalization, all but LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) reached record highs.
A larger number of stocks—1,763—hit 52-week lows. Of these, 530 were KOSPI stocks and 1,172 were KOSDAQ stocks.
As the market continued to swing sharply, with prices rising and falling steeply, 587 stocks hit both 52-week highs and lows. Among them, 192 were KOSPI stocks and 383 were KOSDAQ stocks. The remaining 12 were KONEX stocks.
Samsung Biologics (207940.KS) hit a 52-week high on January 15 this year but subsequently declined steadily, marking a new low on December 8. SJ Group (306040.KQ), a theme stock tied to the Seoul mayoral race in the June 3 local elections, also hit a high in February before falling to a new low after the election ended. By contrast, Seoul Semiconductor hit a 52-week low in January this year but reached a new high in mid-last month, buoyed by favorable investor sentiment toward the semiconductor sector.
"We judge that increased volatility is unavoidable, given market concerns over interest rates ahead of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) and noise surrounding artificial intelligence (AI)," said Lee Jae-won, a researcher at Yuanta Securities (003470.KS). "A concentration into semiconductors and information technology (IT) sectors, which show solid earnings on the back of continued export data and price gains, will survive the volatility over the long term."
Kim Jong-min, a researcher at Samsung Securities (016360.KS), also advised: "In the current market situation, we judge that the most effective strategy is to ride AI leaders backed by earnings and narrative, rather than waiting for an ideal rotation." He added, "Just as the Korean stock market's rally began with the AI growth story, the destination of investment should also converge on the AI theme rather than temporary noise."
