KOSPI
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index or KOSPI (코스피지수) is the index of all common stocks traded on the Stock Market Division—previously, Korea Stock Exchange—of the Korea Exchange. It is the representative stock market index of South Korea, like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or S&P 500 in the United States.
KOSPI was introduced in 1983 with the base value of 100 as of January 4, 1980. It is calculated based on market capitalization. As of 2007, KOSPI's daily volume is hundreds of millions of shares or (trillions of won).
History
KOSPI (한국종합주가지수 Hanguk jonghap juga jisu) was introduced in 1983, replacing Dow-style KCSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index).
For years, KOSPI moved below 1,000, peaking above 1,000 in April 1989, November 1994, and January 2000.
On June 17, 1998, KOSPI recorded its largest one-day percentage gain of 8.50% (23.81 points), recovering from the bottom of the Asian financial crisis.
On September 12, 2001, KOSPI had its largest one-day percentage drop of 12.02% (64.97 points) just after 9/11.