Why Korea’s chip-heavy stock market isn’t overheating

The South Korean benchmark Kospi's more-than 50 percent exposure to the country's top two chipmakers SK hynix and Samsung Electronics is not excessive when viewed against the sector's robust earnings outlook, according to Park Yeon-ju, head of research at Mirae Asset Securities. "This is not a case of a fundamentally flawed market dynamic. On the contrary, earnings of the two chipmakers have improved so dramatically that valuations still do not fully capture the extent of the fundamental gains,"

2026-06-28 14:34:35:00

Mirae Asset marks 20 years of ETF growth

Mirae Asset Global Investments is marking the 20th anniversary of its exchange-traded fund business, which has become a major growth engine for the asset manager, the company said Thursday. Its first ETF products, the Tiger Semiconductor ETF and the Tiger Banking ETF, were launched in June 2006, meaning 20 years have passed since the products were incorporated into Mirae Asset's business portfolio. Over that period, the asset manager has broadened its lineup to include products tracking major US

2026-06-25 15:20:30:00

Samsung ADR could spark fresh rerating: KB Securities

With SK hynix shares surging after the chipmaker unveiled plans to list American depositary receipts, Samsung Electronics could see a fresh rerating if it pursues a similar move, KB Securities said Thursday. Shares of SK hynix have rallied on optimism surrounding its planned Nasdaq ADR listing, briefly overtaking Samsung Electronics earlier this week to become South Korea's most valuable listed company by market capitalization. Samsung Electronics could also benefit from a US ADR listing, which

2026-06-25 15:06:18:00

Kospi suffers biggest selloff since March

The South Korean benchmark Kospi dived nearly 10 percent on Tuesday, marking the second-largest daily decline of the year. The Kospi fell 9.99 percent to close at 8,203.84. After opening at 9,083.54, down 0.34 percent from the previous session, it traded flat in early dealings before turning sharply lower around noon, eventually closing at its intraday low as losses deepened. The nearly 10 percent decline was the second-largest daily fall on the Kospi this year, after a 12.06 percent drop on Mar

2026-06-23 15:22:21:00

What Mirae Asset's SpaceX miss really says about Korea

Mirae Asset Securities, the South Korea-based brokerage that has long sought to expand its global footprint, hit a setback in its ambitions when it failed to secure SpaceX shares for local investors earlier this month for its initial public offering. The miss came as a surprise to the Korean market, given Mirae Asset's close ties with SpaceX. The market deemed Mirae Asset Securities had an upper hand in the IPO allocation, as Mirae Asset Financial Group was an early investor in the rocket compan

2026-06-23 15:13:13:00

Korea's US stock boom is only getting started: Toss strategist

South Korean investors have emerged as an increasingly influential force in US equities, boosting their holdings of American stocks to nearly $200 billion and becoming some of the world's most aggressive buyers of leading artificial intelligence companies. Yet despite their growing presence on Wall Street, the country's investors are still in the early stages of investing in US equities, according to Lee Young-gon, head of research at Toss Securities. "Korean retail investors have only been inve

2026-06-21 14:18:10:00

Kospi breaks 9,000 milestone

South Korea's benchmark Kospi breached the 9,000-point threshold for the first time on Thursday, driven by a rally in chip heavyweights as foreign investors shrugged off the US Federal Reserve's hawkish stance and snapped up more than 1 trillion won ($650 million) in local shares on the main board. The index closed at 9,063.84, 2.25 percent higher than the previous session. After opening at a 0.23 percent gain on-session, it extended its gains to break above the 9,000-point mark for the first ti

2026-06-18 15:05:50:00

US Fed's hawkish shift pressures BOK

The US Federal Reserve signaled a higher interest-rate path as it kept its benchmark rate unchanged Wednesday, increasing pressure on the Bank of Korea to move toward monetary tightening. In his debut Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh kept the target federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75 percent, but struck a notably hawkish tone, citing continued price pressures. While the Bank of Korea had already been widely expected to raise its benchmark rate soon, the Fed's ha

2026-06-18 15:05:35:00

After IPO setback, Korean ETF managers rush into SpaceX

South Korean asset managers are rushing to increase exposure to SpaceX through exchange-traded funds, as investor demand for the newly listed aerospace company remains strong. Leading the pack is Ace US Space Tech Active ETF, managed by Korea Investment Management, with SpaceX accounting for 26.41 percent of its portfolio as of Tuesday. The fund had initially sought to secure initial public offering allocations through Mirae Asset Securities but pivoted quickly to open-market purchases after the

2026-06-16 14:55:34:00

Kospi surges 5% as US-Iran deal to end war lifts energy fears

The South Korean benchmark Kospi surged over 5 percent Monday after the US and Iran announced an interim deal to end the war, easing concerns over disruptions to global energy supplies. Following the announcement, which included provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Kospi surged 4.95 percent at the open, triggering a buy-side sidecar, a five-minute trading curb. The index gradually extended gains throughout the day as normal trading resumed, closing 5.2 percent higher at 8,545.98. W

2026-06-15 15:00:50:00