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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] For the first time in history, the combined market capitalization of companies listed on South Korea’s KOSPI, KOSDAQ, and KONEX markets has surpassed KRW 3,000 trillion, driven by a sustained market rally and increased investor confidence.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on July 10, the total market cap of 2,877 listed companies reached KRW 3,020.8 trillion (approx. USD 2.17 trillion) at closing, up 30.1% from KRW 2,306.6 trillion at the end of last year. While the number of listed firms increased by 10, the surge is largely attributed to bullish momentum in the equities market.
Among the three markets, KOSPI showed the most significant growth, with its market cap rising 34.5% from KRW 1,936.3 trillion at the end of 2024 to KRW 2,603.7 trillion. The KOSDAQ market rose 21.7% (up KRW 73.7 trillion), while KONEX added KRW 66.5 billion, a 2.1% increase.
The KOSPI Index, which had dropped to 2,284.72 in April amid concerns over retaliatory tariffs proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, rebounded strongly to close at 3,183.23, setting a new year-to-date high. The rally was supported by easing political uncertainty, a weaker U.S. dollar, and renewed foreign investor inflows.
The KOSDAQ Index also showed a strong upward trend, climbing from 637.55 in April to a recent high of 803.93 on June 25. After a brief pullback, it rebounded to 797.70 on July 10, nearing the 800-point threshold once again.
AlphaBIZ Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
