South Korea's KOSPI Falls 8.77% in Week of July 13-16, Circuit Breaker Triggered

According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI index fell 655.34 points (8.77%) to 6,820.6 in the week of July 13-16, with sell-side circuit breakers triggered on July 13, 14, and 16, and a buy-side circuit breaker on July 15. Semiconductor sector concerns and Middle East geopolitical tensions weighed on sentiment.

Chip-linked stocks declined sharply: Samsung Electronics fell 10.53%, SK Hynix dropped 15.5%, and Samsung Electronics Device Solutions tumbled 19.38%. Among higher-market-cap stocks, SK Enernics rose 21.35% following government plans to launch a renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) platform, while SK Innovation gained 17.89% as energy stocks benefited from rising crude prices amid conflict uncertainty.