KOSPI closes week at 5,059.69, down 11.71% (November 2–6, 2026) — two days of US election fallout
The KOSPI fell from 5,730.74 to 5,059.69 in the week of November 2–6, 2026, a decline of 671.05 points or 11.71% and its lowest close since March. Most of it happened in two sessions after the US midterm elections. On November 5 the index fell 5.28% to 5,383.80 and triggered a sell sidecar; on November 6 it dropped as much as 8.78% intraday, setting off a 20-minute trading halt at 9:03 a.m., before closing down 6.02%. Foreign investors sold a net 2.77 trillion won that day as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix tracked a 12.3% collapse in US chip stocks.
The three lines
- Week — 5,730.74 → 5,059.69, down 11.71%; KOSDAQ down 11.06% to 644.27
- Two days — Nov 5 -5.28% with sidecar; Nov 6 -6.02% after a 20-minute halt
- Flows — Nov 6 foreigners sold ₩2.77 trillion net; institutions and retail bought ₩2.31 trillion
Key questions
- kospi close november 6 2026
- **5,059.69, down 324.11 points (6.02%). The intraday low was 4,911.28, down 8.78%.** | Item | Nov 6, 2026 | |---|---| | KOSPI close | 5,059.69 (-6.02%) | | Intraday low | 4,911.28 (-8.78%) | | Circuit breaker | Level 1 at about 9:03 a.m., 20-minute halt | | KOSDAQ close | 644.27 (-5.03%) | | Foreign investors | Net sell ₩2.7692 trillion |
- why kospi halted trading
- **The index stayed more than 8% below the previous close for one minute, which automatically triggers a Level 1 circuit breaker halting KOSPI stocks and related derivatives for 20 minutes.** | Level | Trigger | Nov 6 | |---|---|---| | Level 1 | Down 8% or more for one minute | Triggered | | Level 2 | Down 15% or more | Not triggered | | Level 3 | Down 20% or more; market closes for the day | Not triggered |
- kospi weekly performance november 2026
- **Down 11.71% for the week, with the damage concentrated after the US election.** | Date | KOSPI close | Change | Driver | |---|---|---|---| | Nov 2 | 5,859.08 | +2.24% | Institutional buying | | Nov 3 | 5,648.79 | -3.59% | Worries over Big Tech AI financing | | Nov 4 | 5,683.80 | +0.62% | US election day | | Nov 5 | 5,383.80 | -5.28% | Texas result, US chip weakness | | Nov 6 | 5,059.69 | -6.02% | US chip index -12.3% |
Korea's benchmark lost almost 12% in a week, nearly all of it in the two sessions after the US midterms. The KOSPI fell from 5,730.74 (October 30) to 5,059.69 on November 6, 2026, down 671.05 points or 11.71% — its lowest close since March, according to Reuters. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ fell 11.06% to 644.27. The won weakened by 20.15 against the dollar over the week to 1,363.03.
For international readers: the KOSPI is unusually concentrated in two memory chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which together supply most of the world's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI accelerators. When US investors dump AI chip stocks, the KOSPI moves with them — only harder.
1. Five sessions — rebound, nerves, then two crashes
| Date | KOSPI close | Change | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30 (Fri) | 5,730.74 | -3.48% | AI-spending worries after Alphabet earnings |
| Nov 2 (Mon) | 5,859.08 | +128.34 (+2.24%) | Institutions bought ₩1.23 trillion |
| Nov 3 (Tue) | 5,648.79 | -210.29 (-3.59%) | Concern over Big Tech borrowing for AI infrastructure |
| Nov 4 (Wed) | 5,683.80 | +35.01 (+0.62%) | US election day (Nov 3 in the US) |
| Nov 5 (Thu) | 5,383.80 | -300.00 (-5.28%) | Sell sidecar at 10:16 a.m. |
| Nov 6 (Fri) | 5,059.69 | -324.11 (-6.02%) | Circuit breaker at 9:03 a.m., 20-minute halt |
| Week | -671.05 (-11.71%) | Lowest close since March |
On November 5 the US Philadelphia Semiconductor Index had fallen 3.13% overnight as the Texas governor's race — won by a Democrat promising a data center moratorium — hit chip stocks even as the broader US market rose. The KOSPI opened 1.82% lower; at 10:16:19 a.m. KOSPI 200 futures fell more than 5%, triggering a sell sidecar that pauses program trading for five minutes. It was the 29th sell sidecar of 2026. The index closed down 5.28%.
2. November 6 — the circuit breaker and ₩2.77 trillion of foreign selling
Overnight, Democratic control of the Senate was confirmed, and the Nasdaq 100 fell 6.3% while the US chip index collapsed 12.3%. When Seoul opened, the KOSPI stayed more than 8% below the prior close for a full minute, triggering a Level 1 circuit breaker at about 9:03 a.m. that froze KOSPI stocks and derivatives for 20 minutes. The index touched 4,911.28 (-8.78%), below 5,000, before recovering to close down 6.02%.
| Investor group | Nov 6 net trades (KOSPI) |
|---|---|
| Foreign | -₩2.7692 trillion |
| Institutional | +₩1.7042 trillion |
| Retail | +₩601.0 billion |
Domestic institutions and retail investors absorbed about 83% of foreign selling that day. NBC reported Samsung closed about 6.3% lower and SK hynix more than 10% lower; Japan's Nikkei fell about 6% and Taiwan's TAIEX about 4.5%.
3. What comes next
The US rebounded on Friday, with the Nasdaq up 1.1% and the S&P 500 up 0.3%, as October payrolls beat forecasts — a mixed blessing that eased recession fears but revived the odds of a December Fed hike. Over the week, the S&P 500 fell 2.67% and the Nasdaq 3.37%, according to Kiho Ilbo's tally — the KOSPI's loss was more than three times larger.
| Next catalyst | Date | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| TSMC October sales | November 10 | First hard data on AI chip demand |
| Nvidia Q3 earnings | November 17 (expected) | Data center revenue and guidance |
| Detail on state data center pledges | TBD | Texas, Ohio, Georgia governors-elect |
| FOMC | December 8–9 | Rate hike risk after strong jobs data |
The political trigger behind the US selloff is explained in our report on why the Nasdaq plunged on November 5.
Sources
- Topstar News — KOSPI plunges 6.02% to 5,059.69, foreigners sell ₩2.77 trillion (2026-11-06, Korean)
- Kiho Ilbo — Global economy weekly briefing: KOSPI and KOSDAQ both fall over 11% (2026-11, Korean)
- Metro Seoul — Sell sidecar as Samsung, SK hynix slump (2026-11-05, Korean)
- Invezz — KOSPI crash today: why South Korea halted trading after an 8% plunge (2026-11-06)
- NBC News — Stocks plunge as election outcome and AI worries crush tech shares (2026-11-05)