The KOSPI's average daily trading volume surpassed 52 trillion won, marking the highest level this year, but trading remains concentrated among a few stocks. Of the 947 companies listed on the KOSDAQ, 94% reported daily trading volumes below 1 trillion won, while Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix accounted for nearly half of the total trading volume, highlighting a significant liquidity concentration.
According to the Korea Exchange, from June 1 to June 12, the average daily trading volume in the KOSDAQ reached 52.58 trillion won. This figure exceeds the previous months: January (27.06 trillion won), February (32.23 trillion won), March (30.14 trillion won), April (29.55 trillion won), and May (50.21 trillion won), making it the highest level recorded this year.
Despite the overall increase in trading volume, individual stock liquidity shows a stark disparity. Among the 947 listed companies, 890 had average daily trading volumes below 1 trillion won, accounting for approximately 94% of the total. This indicates that, despite the surge in market trading, most stocks are not attracting investor interest.
In terms of trading volume categories, 110 companies (11.5%) had average daily trading volumes below 10 million won, 367 companies (39.0%) below 1 billion won, and 246 companies (26.0%) below 10 billion won. Additionally, 23 companies (2.5%) reported zero trades. While the overall trading scale has expanded, actual liquidity remains concentrated in a few stocks, exacerbating polarization among them.
Conversely, only 57 companies exceeded an average daily trading volume of 1 trillion won. The combined average daily trading volume of these companies was approximately 46.38 trillion won, representing 88.2% of the total KOSPI average daily trading volume during the same period. These companies make up just 6.0% of all listed firms, yet they absorb most of the market trading. Notably, Samsung Electronics recorded an average daily trading volume of 11.54 trillion won, while SK Hynix reached 12.15 trillion won.
Labor researcher Noh Dong-gil from Shinhan Investment Corp. noted, "The driving force behind the market's upward momentum in 2026 has been individual investors. They have concentrated their funds on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, where profit re-evaluation has already been confirmed, rather than investing broadly in the Korean market." He added, "The concentration in the market cannot be explained solely by investor sentiment. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have established themselves as common underlying assets in the commodity market, beyond just leading stocks in the Korean market."
However, recent analyses suggest that market funds are beginning to spread across certain sectors and stocks. Kim Jun-young, a researcher at iM Securities, stated, "If we follow the market's rhythm, June appears to be a period where sector-wide expansion could continue in the short term. As a ceasefire approaches, we are seeing a rebound in indices that diverges from the existing leading stocks, indicating a broader recovery among various individual stocks."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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