Why did KOSPI trading value fall to a year-to-date low in August?

The drop followed a sharp plunge in the stock market in July. Mirae Asset Securities analyst Kim Seok-hwan said first-half 2026 trading was unusually overheated and that the recent decline reflected normalization of stock transactions.

How much was the KOSPI's average daily turnover in August 2026?

It stood at slightly over 25.7 trillion won, according to data from the Korea Exchange. The figure was the lowest since January, when daily turnover came to 27 trillion won.

What happened to KOSPI turnover after the market's bull run in May and June?

Average daily turnover fell from more than 50 trillion won in both May and June to 36.8 trillion won in July, before dropping further in August. The article links that shift to the market's record downturn in July.

Main stock market's turnover falls to year-to-date low in August

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Summary

Korea's main bourse saw its turnover fall to a year-to-date low in August after a sharp stock market drop in July. The average daily turnover of the KOSPI stood at slightly over 25.7 trillion won this month, the lowest since January. It had topped 50 trillion won in May and June during the market's bull run, then fell to 36.8 trillion won last month. Mirae Asset Securities analyst Kim Seok-hwan said the recent decline reflects normalization after unusually overheated trading.

Key Facts

The average daily turnover of the KOSPI in August was slightly over 25.7 trillion won.
That level was the lowest since January, when daily turnover was 27 trillion won.
The KOSPI's average daily turnover exceeded 50 trillion won in both May and June.
The average daily turnover fell to 36.8 trillion won in July after the market's record downturn.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 18, 2026 3:31 pm KST

Officials work at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Turnover of Korea's main bourse hit the lowest level so far this year in August, after a sharp plunge in the stock market in July, data showed Tuesday.

The average daily turnover of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stood at slightly over 25.7 trillion won ($18.2 billion) this month, according to the data from the Korea Exchange.

It was the lowest tally since January this year, when the daily turnover came to 27 trillion won.

The figure jumped to over 50 trillion won both in May and June, when the KOSPI enjoyed its bull run.

Since July's record downturn, the average daily turnover fell to 36.8 trillion won last month.

"In the first half of 2026, the trading value of the local stock market was unusually overheated," Kim Seok-hwan, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, said.

Kim said the recent tumble in the daily turnover was the normalization of stock transactions that had increased excessively.

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