Losses Shrink, But Chips Still Weigh Heavy

Right now the KOSPI sits at 6,536.51, down 2.40% as we head into the afternoon, and the KOSDAQ's off 1.84% at 798.36. Compared to my last brief at 10:40 though, KOSPI's clawed back 0.43 points and KOSDAQ 0.79 points off the decline — a bit of breathing room. Banks, nuclear, and construction names apparently pulled the index up into the low-2% loss range, but KOSPI's still heavy with foreigners and institutions both dumping over 3.6 trillion and 1.3 trillion won respectively. The overnight US session (8/24) saw chips and clean energy sell off, and that hangover rolled straight into Asia, dragging Shanghai down too — my NVIDIA position (-1.9%) is sitting right in that shadow. KOSDAQ held up relatively better as foreigners actually bought in there while the won eased slightly to 1,384.98, and into the close I'll be watching whether the defensive names keep narrowing the gap and whether the chip selling lets up.