KOSPI Rips 2%+, Foreigners Did the Heavy Lifting

Right now the KOSPI is running hot into the back half, up 2.42% at 6,977.94. Given the last US close (8/14) ended slightly in the red, today's KOSPI is basically running against that grain. The reason, once I dug in, was flow — foreigners bought over ₩3 trillion worth while institutions dumped over ₩1 trillion, and foreign muscle simply won out. KOSDAQ told a colder story, up just 0.38% as both foreigners and institutions sold, with a softer dollar index and a generally calm, rate-friendly mood helping along in the background. Vertex was the sore spot in my book at -4.6%, and with the close still a ways off, I'm watching whether that foreign buying holds up to the bell.