KOSPI Drops as Foreign Investors Sell Off, Bitcoin Holds Steady

The KOSPI fell sharply by over 3% on the 24th as foreign and institutional investors sold off, despite Samsung Electronics' announcement of a large-scale shareholder return. This led to a drop in individual stocks such as Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung C&T, and SK Hynix.

In contrast, the KOSDAQ rose due to strong performance in secondary battery stocks, with EcoPro BM surging 10.80% and EcoPro rising by 7.59%. The won-dollar exchange rate also fell below the 1,380 mark at one point during the day, closing at 1,382.4.

Bitcoin continued its slight upward trend, trading at $76,878 with a 0.85% increase from 24 hours ago. Institutional funds continued to flow into U.S. spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with a total of $500 million net inflow into Bitcoin spot ETFs on the 21st.