Market attention is focused on the direction of domestic nuclear power-related stocks in the new trading week starting after the Constitution Day holiday (July 17). Whether the short-term trend of nuclear power stocks, which had been sluggish amid recent profit-taking sell-offs, will reverse, and what impact the volatility of the U.S. stock market over the weekend will have, have emerged as key concerns for investors.

As of the market close on July 16, nuclear power stocks generally showed weakness. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), one of the representative stocks, showed a relatively steady trend, rising 0.4% from the previous day to 34,050 won. However, Doosan Enerbility fell 5.0% to 69,300 won, failing to recover the "70,000-bility" level. Wooyoung also closed down 8.2% at 9,850 won, falling below the 10,000 won mark again.

In addition, most nuclear power theme stocks closed lower, including Daechang Solution (-0.5%), Geumhwa PSC (-0.7%), Soosan Industries (-1.1%), KEPCO KPS (-1.3%), KEPCO E&C (-3.1%), Orbitech (-4.5%), Woojin (-4.8%), Woojin Entec (-5.0%), and Mobis (-5.0%).

In the market, investors' outlook heading into Monday, the first trading day after the Constitution Day holiday weekend, is divided. The prevailing analysis is that the direction of major stocks such as Doosan Enerbility and Wooyoung, which have experienced significant price volatility recently, will determine the overall investment sentiment for nuclear power stocks.

Furthermore, the movement of the U.S. stock market, which will be open while the domestic market is closed, is another key checkpoint. This is because domestic investment sentiment will inevitably be influenced by how nuclear power and small modular reactor (SMR)-related stocks perform in the U.S. market on July 17 (local time).

However, in the mid-to-long term, positive expectations remain dominant. Factors such as the expansion of global nuclear power investment, the surge in electricity demand driven by the increase in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and growing expectations for SMR technology are cited as sustained investment points for nuclear power stocks. Attention is now focused on how much of the global stock market's investment sentiment will be reflected in the domestic market next week.

[※ Investors are responsible for their own investment decisions, and it is essential to verify relevant disclosures and company fundamentals before investing.]