KOSPI retook market leadership from the KOSDAQ in the second week of August as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rebounded and foreign investors returned to large-cap stocks. South Korea's main index rose 11.49% from Aug. 10-14 after falling 5.10% in the first week, while the KOSDAQ gained 8.24% in the second week after a 10.98% jump in the first, leaving monthly returns at 5.80% for the KOSPI and 20.13% for the KOSDAQ. The KOSPI closed at 6,977.94 on Aug. 14, up 2.42% on the day and nearing 7,000, as offshore investors swung from nearly 6 trillion won of net selling in the first week to more than 6.5 trillion won of net buying in the second; earlier exchange data showed about 72% of that weekly foreign buying went to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. KOSDAQ trading value has recovered since tighter deposit rules for single-stock leveraged products took effect late last month, but continued foreign selling and an index stuck in the mid-800s have left analysts looking for fresh catalysts, including a proposed blue-chip tier tentatively called KOSDAQ Select.