From 2 PM, Foreigners Bought 2 Trillion Won in Futures… Betting on a Rally on Options Expiry Day? ‘Why Core CPI Matters’ / Korean Stock Market Reels from Foreign Day Trading | CEO Lee Kwon-hee

Summary

CEO Lee Kwon-hee reviews a volatile session driven by foreign futures swings ahead of options expiry and CPI. He identifies supportive factors for a KOSPI rebound, details sector rallies in shipbuilding, defense, and renewable energy, and reiterates long positions in Hyundai Motor, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix. He also flags semiconductor equipment stocks benefiting from domestic packaging investments, and suggests watching secondary batteries and defensive KB Financial.

• Foreign institutions dumped nearly 1.3 trillion won in futures by 2 PM then covered almost 2 trillion won, fueling violent intraday swings.
• KOSPI 7,500 is key support; if it holds, a rebound is likely after expiry and CPI pass.
• Shipbuilding surged on Maska project execution news; defense bounced on geopolitical tensions and the KF-21/Indonesia deal.
• SK Eternix and SK Ocean Plant jumped after SK Group’s plan to sell its renewable energy business.
• Back-end semiconductor equipment stocks (PSK Holdings, PSK, Doosan Tesna, Komico) rose on Gwangju packaging plant prospects.
• Still long Hyundai Motor, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix; see pullbacks as noise.
• Secondary batteries have fallen enough to monitor, while KB Financial offers a defensive hideout.
• Core CPI above 2.8% would be a major headwind; events like FOMC and BOJ are largely priced in.