Markets · 2026-07-08
KOSPI Sinks, Strategy for a Volatile Session
On July 8 the KOSPI fell as much as 1.8% early in the session to touch 7,518 points, while the KOSDAQ dropped further, sliding 3.8% to 799 points. Foreign investors sold in both the cash and options markets, while institutions bought a net roughly 1 trillion won, with pension funds extending purchases for a second straight day. Losses narrowed later in the day, with the KOSPI recovering to a 0.7% decline above the 7,600 level and the KOSDAQ's drop easing to around 3%. Among large-cap names, SK hynix gained about 3.6% while Samsung Electronics fell about 2%, holding the 290,000-won line.
The hosts advised against aggressive buying or selling — and especially leveraged bets — during periods of high volatility. They recommended setting a personal loss tolerance in advance and trimming 30-40% of a position if it falls more than 10% relative to the broader market. This was framed not as pessimism but as a way to build cash for the next opportunity.
[Global] Wall Street Closes Lower on Chip Weakness
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.25%, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.16%, the S&P 500 slid 0.45%, and the Russell 2000 declined 0.9%, with all three major indexes closing in negative territory. The market briefly attempted to stabilize near session lows before oil's spike on Strait of Hormuz tensions erased the gains.
Semiconductor stocks were at the center of the decline. Fallout from South Korean chip stocks' sharp drop after Samsung Electronics' preliminary earnings the previous day spilled into US markets, pushing Micron Technology, SanDisk and other memory names lower from the open.
Nvidia, however, turned positive despite the negative headline of DeepSeek reportedly developing its own AI chip. Palantir also climbed as much as 4% intraday before trimming gains, as software and big-tech names showed relatively resilient trading.
The 10-year Treasury yield rose 1.6% and the dollar index climbed toward the 100 level, reflecting caution ahead of the next day's FOMC minutes release as well as inflation concerns tied to the oil price surge.