KOSPI triggers second straight sell-side sidecar amid sharp drop

May 18, 2026, 10:10 am

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A display board shows the KOSPI index at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul on May 18. The KOSPI opened at 7,443.29, down 49.89 points, or 0.67%, from the previous session, while the KOSDAQ opened at 1,122.57, down 7.25 points, or 0.64%. /Yonhap

South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index triggered a temporary sell-side sidecar on May 18 after posting steep losses in early trading, marking the second consecutive trading session in which the market stabilization measure was activated.

According to the Korea Exchange, the sell-side sidecar was triggered at around 9:19 a.m. after sharp declines in KOSPI200 futures temporarily halted program sell orders for five minutes.

At the time of activation, the KOSPI200 futures index had fallen 60.24 points, or 5.13%, from the previous session’s close to 1,112.46.

It marked the first activation of a KOSPI sell-side sidecar since May 15 and the second consecutive trading day following the previous trigger.

A sell-side sidecar is activated when the KOSPI200 futures index falls by at least 5% and the decline continues for at least one minute.

The KOSPI had surged to an all-time high above the 8,000-point level on May 15 before reversing course and falling below 7,500. The market continued to weaken afterward, briefly dropping to the 7,100 range during the recent selloff.

#KOSPI #sidecar #Korea Exchange #KOSPI200 futures #stock market