Domestic wire and cable-related stocks are falling across the board in the afternoon session on the 23rd, ahead of the weekend. With both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ indices showing weakness, all eight major stocks in the sector are continuing their decline, with selling pressure dominating the industry as a whole.

As of 1:04 p.m. on the 23rd, Gaon Cable is trading at 223,500 won, down 6.88% from the previous day, marking the largest drop among major wire-related stocks. LS is trading at 209,500 won, down 5.84%, while Iljin Electric is down 5.37% at 56,400 won, moving in the mid-50,000-won range.

Taihan Cable is trading at 21,050 won, down 4.32% from the previous day, and LS Eco Energy is down 3.76% at 56,300 won. KBI Metal is down 3.36% at 4,310 won, LS Marine Solution is down 2.19% at 29,000 won, and Daewon Cable is also down 2.04% at 10,900 won.

Turning to the broader market, at the same time the KOSPI is at 5,489.34, down 44.43 points (0.80%) from the previous day, while the KOSDAQ is down 18.91 points (2.47%) at 745.19. With the KOSDAQ showing a relatively large decline, attention is focused on whether the overall contraction in investor sentiment in the domestic stock market is weighing on wire-related stocks.

Wire and cable stocks are a sector tied to mid- to long-term growth expectations, including power grid expansion, power infrastructure investment, and rising electricity demand from data centers. Recently, the profitability of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment has been cited as a key issue for the sector. However, apart from these industrial expectations, short-term share prices may be affected by overall market supply and demand conditions and changes in investor sentiment.

As today is the last trading day before the weekend, the key points to watch are whether declines will widen later in the afternoon session, or whether bargain hunting will flow into some stocks and attempt a rebound. Attention is also focused on whether wire stocks will continue declining until the market close amid the domestic market's weakness, whether major stocks can narrow their losses, and whether investor sentiment will recover by the next trading day.

[This article is not intended to encourage investment, and the final judgment and responsibility for investments rest with the investor.]