KOSPI week of August 24-28, 2026: closed at 6,788.88, down 1.79%
The KOSPI closed the week of August 24-28, 2026 at 6,788.88, down 124.07 points or 1.79 percent from 6,912.95 a week earlier. Nvidia results on August 26, the Bank of Korea rate decision on August 27 and the Kevin Warsh speech at Jackson Hole on August 28 made it a so-called big week, and the index still ended lower than it began. Monday alone erased 3.12 percent with Samsung Electronics down 8.7 percent; the next three sessions recovered 215 points; Friday gave back 123 on a report of wider US chip tariffs. Foreign investors sold a net 8.3 trillion won
The three lines
- Week — KOSPI closed at 6,788.88, down 124.07 points or 1.79 percent
- Path — Monday −3.12%, then 215 points recovered over three sessions, then 123 given back Friday
- Flows — foreigners sold a net 8.3tn won, most of it on Monday and Tuesday
Key questions
- How much did the KOSPI fall in the week of August 24, 2026?
- **Down 124.07 points, or 1.79 percent, over the week.** It went from **6,912.95** at Friday, August 21's close to **6,788.88** on Friday, August 28. The path was not a straight line: Monday erased **3.12 percent** and broke the 6,700 level, Tuesday through Thursday recovered **215 points** to 6,912.37, and Friday gave back **123.49 points**. As a weekly change that is close to flat; inside the week more than 550 points moved.
- Why didn't the index rise given the week's calendar?
- **Three scheduled events, none of which pushed the index up.** ① **Nvidia's Q2 results on August 26** — revenue of $96.2 billion was solid and Korean chip names rose into Thursday, but the third-quarter outlook carried China at zero. ② **The Bank of Korea on August 27** raised its policy rate to **3.00 percent**, against a bond market that had put 79 percent odds on a hold — and the index still closed up for a third straight session. ③ **Jackson Hole on August 28** — Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signalled further tightening and September hike odds jumped from the 30s to **56 percent** in a day. Layered on top, a report that the US is weighing extending chip tariffs to finished goods sent Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix sharply lower.
- How much did foreign investors sell?
- **A net 8.3169 trillion won on the KOSPI across the week.** The selling was front-loaded: **3.669 trillion won** on Monday, August 24 and **3.8139 trillion won** on Tuesday, August 25 — over 7.5 trillion in two sessions. Retail investors absorbed it, buying a net **3.8 trillion won** on Monday alone. Selling eased mid-week, then returned on Friday at **1.7564 trillion won** after the tariff report. Daily flow figures vary by outlet and methodology: some reported foreign net selling on August 24 as 3.8974 trillion won. Why the same day produces different numbers is covered in "What foreign net buying is."
The KOSPI closed the week at 6,788.88.
That is 124.07 points, or 1.79 percent, below the previous Friday's 6,912.95.
On the calendar it looked like a week to rise. Nvidia's results, a Bank of Korea decision and Jackson Hole landed on three consecutive days — a big week. The index finished below where it started.
1. Five sessions
| Date | Close | Change | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 21 (prior) | 6,912.95 | — | baseline |
| Mon, Aug 24 | 6,696.96 | −3.12% | Samsung Electronics −8.7%; retail buys 3.8tn won |
| Tue, Aug 25 | 6,742.74 | +0.68% | bounce after the drop |
| Wed, Aug 26 | 6,808.21 | +0.97% | index up despite 2.2tn won of retail selling |
| Thu, Aug 27 | 6,912.37 | +1.53% | third straight gain, on the day rates rose |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6,788.88 | −1.79% | report of wider US chip tariffs |
The weekly number is −1.79 percent. The travel inside it was not.
| Leg | Move |
|---|---|
| Monday's fall | −216 points |
| Tue–Thu recovery | +215 points |
| Friday's give-back | −123 points |
| Net for the week | −124 points |
554 points moved; 124 remained. The prior week had the same shape — 948 points of travel and 65 points of change.
2. Three events, three mismatches
| Date | Event | Outcome | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26 | Nvidia Q2 | revenue $96.2bn; China at zero in the Q3 outlook | +0.97%, then +1.53% |
| Aug 27 | Bank of Korea | policy rate raised to 3.00% (79% of the bond market expected a hold) | +1.53% — up on the hike |
| Aug 28 | Jackson Hole · Warsh | further tightening signalled; September odds 30s → 56% | −1.79% |
The index rose on the day rates went up and fell on the day of the speech. The resolution is that a fourth event existed.
On August 27 US time, Politico reported that the Trump administration is weighing a second round of semiconductor tariffs extending to finished goods — laptops, game consoles, data-center servers — and removing the data-center exemption. Friday's fall traces to that report more than to Jackson Hole.
3. Foreign flows — 8.3 trillion won
| Session | Foreign net selling |
|---|---|
| Mon, Aug 24 | 3.669tn won |
| Tue, Aug 25 | 3.8139tn won |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 1.7564tn won |
| Week | 8.3169tn won |
The selling was front-loaded: over 7.5 trillion won in two sessions. Retail investors absorbed it, buying a net 3.8 trillion won on Monday alone.
Daily figures differ by methodology — some outlets put August 24 foreign net selling at 3.8974 trillion won. Why the same day yields different numbers is covered in "What foreign net buying is."
4. The month, for scale
| Reference | Level |
|---|---|
| Jul 31 close | 6,595.45 (a record 17.91% single-day surge) |
| Aug 7 | 6,258.77 |
| Aug 19 | 6,471.17 |
| Aug 21 | 6,912.95 |
| Aug 28 | 6,788.88 |
Still above the end of July. But within August the index travelled 654 points between 6,258 and 6,912. Amplitude beat direction.
5. The next numbers
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Fri, Sep 4 | US August jobs report |
| Sep 15–16 | FOMC — the meeting the 56 percent refers to |
How that probability is manufactured is covered separately in "How Fed rate-hike odds are calculated."
6. What we could not confirm
- Weekly foreign flow — 8.3169 trillion won comes from one outlet.
- August 24 flows — reported as 3.669tn and 3.8974tn won, with the basis unclear.
- Institutional and retail weekly totals — not compiled here.
- KOSDAQ and the won — weekly moves not verified.
- Attribution — the contribution of each event to the index move could not be isolated.
Sources
- Money Today — Is a stock-pickers' market starting? Samsung, Hyundai and SK group shares all slip
- Digital Times — Foreigners sell 1.7tn won as KOSPI gives up 6,800 ahead of Jackson Hole
- Businesskorea — KOSPI plunges 3.12%, breaking 6,700 as retail investors alone buy 3.8tn won
- Money Today — Two chip majors held the floor, but two big events stand between the index and 7,000
- Hankyung — KOSPI gives up 6,800 on chip weakness; foreigners sell a net 1.7tn won
- The Scoop — Even Nvidia's beat could not help: rates and Trump held the Korean market back