Stocks end lower on foreign selling ahead of Q2 earnings 

Shares ended lower Monday as foreigners continued to offload local stocks ahead of major companies' second-quarter earnings releases.

After opening 1.06 percent higher, the Kospi reversed course, falling 37.01 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 8,051.33.

Trade volume was moderate at 442.43 million shares worth 31.59 trillion won ($20.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 461 to 412.

Investors are assessing whether the AI-driven rally can be sustained and are looking to corporate earnings for signs that massive spending on AI infrastructure is translating into profits, analysts said.

Institutions and foreigners sold a combined 2.7 trillion won worth of stocks, while individuals purchased a net 2.6 trillion won.

In Seoul, technology stocks were mixed.

Samsung Electronics rose 2.75 percent to 318,000 won, but SK hynix fell 3.38 percent to 2,343,000 won ahead of the chipmaker's planned $29 billion U.S. listing later this week.

Hyundai Motor climbed 2.03 percent to 502,000 won and LIG Defense and Aerospace gained 1.88 percent to 815,000 won.

Among decliners, LG Energy Solution fell 2.21 percent to 354,500 won and Korean Air shed 2.16 percent to 28,750 won.

The local currency weakened by 4.7 won from the previous session to trade at 1,530.30 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m. 

On Monday, the Korean won began trading on a 24-hour basis, a move aimed at improving foreign investors' access to local markets and bolstering the case for an upgrade in MSCI's developed-market index.

Yonhap