In the domestic stock market, selling pressure spread primarily across existing leading sectors such as semiconductors, electrical equipment, and electronic equipment. As of this afternoon, overall market investor sentiment shrank significantly, with only an extremely limited number of sectors posting gains.

Only Defensive Consumer Sectors Post Modest Gains The tobacco sector rose 1.16%, recording the highest gain. However, with only one constituent stock, it has limitations in representing the overall market trend. The food sector climbed 0.80%. Out of 92 stocks, 12 rose, 2 were unchanged, and 78 declined. The strength of some large-cap stocks is interpreted to have lifted the sector index. In addition, leisure equipment and products (0.33%), beverages (0.27%), and advertising (0.07%) saw modest gains, meaning only these five sectors effectively recorded positive returns for the day.

Consumer and Service Sectors Weaken Shipping companies fell 0.67%, and credit cards declined 0.84%. Consumer-related sectors also broadly showed weakness, including textiles, apparel, footwear, and luxury goods (-1.27%), transportation infrastructure (-1.28%), and cosmetics (-1.53%). Hotels, restaurants, and leisure (-2.21%), game entertainment (-2.43%), and airlines (-2.45%) also declined. Real estate dropped 2.37%, educational services fell 3.23%, and auto parts slid 3.47%, with only 2 out of 155 stocks rising and 142 falling.

Financial and Healthcare Sectors Fall Together The financial sector could not avoid the selling pressure either. Banks (-3.81%), non-life insurance (-2.04%), and other financials (-2.99%) declined, while the securities sector plummeted 7.51% with all 39 constituent stocks falling. Life insurance also dropped 10.75%. The pharmaceutical and biotech sectors also struggled. The pharmaceutical sector fell 4.99% (157 out of 175 declining), while healthcare equipment and supplies (-5.52%), healthcare companies and services (-8.28%), and healthcare technology (-8.31%) all dropped. Biotechnology fell 9.65% (50 out of 58 declining), and life sciences tools and services declined 9.92%.

IT and Leading Stocks See Widened Declines Information technology (IT) sectors also showed across-the-board weakness. IT services (-5.89%), software (-6.30%), computers and peripherals (-5.87%), handsets (-8.81%), display equipment and parts (-8.90%), and electronic products (-8.92%) all declined. In particular, the semiconductor and semiconductor equipment sector plunged 14.00%. With 3 gainers and 163 decliners out of 171 stocks, selling pressure poured into large-cap stocks as well as equipment and parts names. The electronic equipment and instruments sector also fell 14.87% (2 gainers and 100 decliners out of 106 stocks). The electrical equipment sector dropped 17.06%, recording the largest decline among all sectors. Out of 35 stocks, 33 declined (1 gainer and 1 unchanged), with profit-taking selling concentrated in power facility, cable, and power equipment-related stocks that had recently shown strength.

Broad Correction in Industrial Materials Industrial material sectors also experienced steep declines. Machinery (-8.88%), shipbuilding (-9.06%), aerospace and defense (-11.53%), and construction (-12.04%) all fell. Notably, in the construction sector, 66 out of 78 stocks declined, with only 4 gaining. Chemicals (-7.94%), electrical products (-7.89%), energy equipment and services (-8.73%), steel (-6.60%), non-ferrous metals (-6.72%), and oil and gas (-9.12%) also declined.

Market Outlook The sectoral trends on this day were characterized by a simultaneous plunge in growth and cyclical stocks, with the exception of defensive consumer sectors. In many sectors, the number of declining stocks overwhelmingly surpassed that of gainers, indicating that the selling pressure spread beyond corrections in specific large-cap stocks to the broader market. Going forward, it will be necessary to monitor whether selling pressure eases in existing leading sectors such as semiconductors and power equipment, changes in institutional and foreign investment flows, and whether oversold stocks can rebound.

[This article is not intended to recommend the purchase or sale of any specific stock. Stock prices can fluctuate rapidly based on corporate performance, supply and demand, and market conditions, so investment decisions and responsibilities rest solely with the investor. Intraday stock prices and fluctuation rates included in this article may vary depending on the time of writing. This article was written with AI assistance.]