Average daily trading value on South Korea's Kospi has fallen to 25.745 trillion won in August, the lowest this year and roughly half the more than 50 trillion won recorded in both May and June, even as the benchmark index rebounded toward 7,000 on buying in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Korea Exchange data also showed average daily volume at about 321 million shares, a yearly low close to August 2025 levels, suggesting retail investors have stayed on the sidelines after July's sharp selloff and losses on leveraged positions. Foreign investors bought a net 9.4915 trillion won over five trading sessions through Aug. 18 after cumulative net selling of 116.7235 trillion won from May 7 to Aug. 10, underscoring analyst warnings that the rally still depends on sustained foreign inflows rather than a broad recovery in sentiment.