Samsung slips 1.16% as KOSPI waits on earnings and the Fed

Samsung Electronics shares fell 1.16% on Monday, Oct 26, ending the day at 213,000 won in Seoul. They had closed at 215,500 won on Friday, Oct 23. At the Bank of Korea’s rate of 1,323.1 won per dollar, Monday’s close is worth about US$160.99, a decline of 1.04% in dollar terms.

The wider market dropped further. The KOSPI, Korea’s main stock index, lost 1.46% to close at 5,469.47. The TIGER 200 exchange-traded fund fell 1.39% over the same session, so Samsung ended slightly ahead of both.

Seoul pauses before chip results and the Fed

Two Korean outlets gave the same reading of Monday’s decline. Chosunbiz and JoongAng Daily each described a market holding back while investors waited for quarterly earnings from Samsung and SK hynix, the country’s two largest chipmakers, and for a rate decision from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the US Federal Reserve’s policy-setting body. Neither outlet pointed to any other trigger for the drop.

Foreign money had already been leaving the market before the weekend. On Friday, Oct 23, overseas investors posted net selling of 977.8 billion won (about US$738 million) in KOSPI shares. That number covers the whole exchange, not Samsung’s shares alone. Pacific Tape’s guide to how foreign investors move the KOSPI explains where those daily figures come from.

Record-level profit, a falling stock

The October decline stands against the strongest profit figure Samsung has posted in at least six quarters. In preliminary consolidated results filed on Oct 8, the company estimated third-quarter revenue at 195 trillion won and operating profit at 107.4 trillion won. Operating profit was 20.01% higher than in the second quarter and 782.5% above the same quarter of 2025.

Those numbers are Samsung’s early estimate. The company files a quick sales and profit figure soon after a quarter closes, then gives full results weeks later; this explainer covers why Samsung reports in two steps.

The share price has moved the other way. From Oct 2 to Oct 26, the stock fell 22.83% in won terms. Measured in dollars the loss was smaller, at 21.22%, because the won gained 2.04% against the dollar over that span, moving from 1,350.6 to 1,323.1 per dollar. Over the last 20 trading sessions, the shares are down 22.97%.

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Samsung’s weight makes its swings matter for anyone holding Korea through an index fund. On Oct 26 the company was valued at about 1,245 trillion won, equal to 29.91% of the combined market value of the KOSPI 200, the benchmark of Korea’s largest listed companies. Pacific Tape’s Oct 25 preview, Samsung and SK hynix face results week after steep October slide, set out how the month’s losses had built up before this week.

Earnings call on Oct 29

Samsung is scheduled to hold its third-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, Oct 29, at 10:00 KST. That call follows the preliminary figures filed earlier this month.

The company’s current share repurchase program also remains open. It covers 53,285,968 common shares worth about 15 trillion won and runs from Aug 24 to Nov 21. Samsung has stated that the repurchased shares are meant for stock compensation for its employees.

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Information only, not investment advice.