KOSDAQ Blasts Past 850, KOSPI Catches Its Breath

Right now the KOSPI's sitting at 6,300.34, up 0.66%, while the KOSDAQ is on an absolute tear at 850.29, up 6.44%. Compared to my last check-in at 12:10, the KOSPI actually cooled off a touch — its gain shrank by 0.26 points — but the KOSDAQ got even hotter, adding another 0.20 points. Foreigners dumped 865.1 billion won worth of KOSPI names, but institutions stepped in with 585.4 billion won to hold the line, and over on the KOSDAQ, both foreigners and institutions were net sellers and the index still ripped higher anyway — that's the part that catches my eye. It feels like we're riding the tailwind from the last US session (8/7), where the S&P and Nasdaq both closed up and gold/copper miners led while energy and utilities lagged, and the won's ticked up slightly to 1,422.30 while trading with noticeably more volatility. My own book is still sitting on gains in Poongsan (+24.7%) and Microsoft (+26.5%), while Isu Petasys is pinned at -1.9%. With about an hour and a half left before the close, I'm watching whether the KOSDAQ can keep this pace going.