Retail investors returned to the KOSDAQ, South Korea’s junior stock market, with 2.16 trillion won in net purchases last month after selling more than they bought in June and July. Foreign investors moved in the opposite direction, recording 1.84 trillion won in net sales. Individuals favored growth stocks, especially semiconductor companies, while foreign buying concentrated on selected growth names. The KOSDAQ rose 15.91% in August to 834.29 from 719.76, outperforming the KOSPI’s 3.40% gain by 12.51 percentage points. It was the KOSDAQ’s widest monthly lead over the KOSPI since November 2017. Analysts linked the rally to fund rotation away from large-cap stocks and improving corporate earnings, with first-half revenue, operating profit and net profit at KOSDAQ-listed companies rising 23.6%, 62.4% and 260.2%, respectively.