Korea's earnings increasingly hinge on chips: S&P

South Korea's corporate earnings are becoming increasingly dependent on semiconductors, even as the AI-driven chip boom is expected to continue through at least 2028, S&P Global Ratings said Tuesday. "Corporate earnings have been very strong this year, but the picture varies significantly across sectors," said Jeremy Kim at a Seoul briefing. "Growth is concentrated in semiconductors, while most other sectors are either growing modestly or remain under external pressure," he said, describing this

2026-06-30 15:09:49:00

Binance's 50x Korea stock trades expose regulatory blind spot

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, is offering derivatives with leverage of up to 50 times on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, raising concerns over investor protection and potential spillover risks for Korea's stock market. The products come as investors are already debating the risks posed by newly launched 2x leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to the two chipmakers on the Kospi. According to industry sources on Monday, Binance launched SAMSUNGUSDT, SKHYNIXUSDT and HYUNDA

2026-06-29 15:22:46:00

Mirae Asset launches global investment platform MAPS in Hong Kong

Mirae Asset Securities' Hong Kong unit on Monday launched MAPS-- Mirae Asset Portfolio Service -- global investment platform that allows users to trade traditional financial products and digital assets through a single mobile app. The platform is the first product introduced under the brokerage's "Mirae Asset 3.0" growth strategy and consolidates the firm's country-specific mobile trading services into a single global ecosystem. Drawing on Mirae Asset's mobile trading experience in Korea, India,

2026-06-29 14:48:02:00

Kospi whipsaws again, sliding 6% as chip sell-off rattles market

South Korean stocks tumbled Friday, erasing the previous session's chip-fueled rally, as the Kospi slid nearly 6 percent and triggered another circuit breaker amid mounting concerns over extreme market volatility The benchmark Kospi fell 519.09 points, or 5.81 percent, to close at 8,411.21 after dropping as much as 8.19 percent during the session. The tech-heavy Kosdaq lost 36.44 points, or 4.1 percent, to 851.37. The sell-off triggered a sell-side sidecar at 11:12 a.m. after Kospi 200 futures f

2026-06-26 17:27:51:00

Foreign investors dump record W47tr in Korean stocks in May

Foreign investors dumped a record 47 trillion won ($30.6 billion) of South Korean stocks in May, yet their market ownership climbed to an all-time high as the Kospi rally lifted the value of their remaining holdings. According to the Financial Supervisory Service on Friday, foreign investors sold a net 49 trillion won on the Kospi while buying a net 2 trillion won on the Kosdaq, according to the regulator's monthly foreign securities investment report. Net selling over the first five months of t

2026-06-26 16:58:27:00

Kospi triggers circuit breaker after plunging more than 8%

South Korean stocks triggered a marketwide circuit breaker on Friday after the Kospi plunged more than 8 percent in intraday trading, capping a volatile week marked by sharp swings in chip-heavy shares. The Korea Exchange suspended trading on the Kospi market for 20 minutes from 12:10 p.m. after the benchmark index remained more than 8 percent below the previous session's close for one minute, meeting the conditions for a circuit breaker. Trading in all Kospi-listed shares, as well as stock inde

2026-06-26 14:56:44:00

NPS could sell up to W74tr in stocks if Kospi tops 9,000

South Korea's National Pension Service could sell as much as 74 trillion won ($47.9 billion) of domestic equities if the Kospi rises above 9,000, according to estimates from South Korea's financial investment industry. Potential selling could climb to 121 trillion won, should the benchmark index reach 10,000 points. The estimates come as foreign and retail investors have turned net sellers after the market's sharp rally. According to South Korea's financial investment industry on Friday, domesti

2026-06-26 14:44:46:00

FSS moves to cool single-stock ETF frenzy

South Korea's financial watchdog is preparing to tighten oversight of single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, amid growing concerns that speculative trading is amplifying volatility in the stock market. According to industry sources Thursday, the Financial Supervisory Service will meet executives from asset management companies to discuss measures to cool the rapidly growing market. The talks are expected to focus on additional safeguards for levera

2026-06-25 16:09:17:00

Samsung financial affiliates top W100tr in capital for first time

Samsung's financial affiliates surpassed 100 trillion won ($65 billion) in capital for the first time at the end of 2025, accounting for most of the capital growth among South Korea's major financial groups as a stock market rally boosted investment gains. According to data released Wednesday by the Financial Supervisory Service, Samsung's capital rose to 100.5 trillion won from 69.5 trillion won a year earlier, while its capital adequacy ratio improved to 191.2 percent from 185.1 percent. The 3

2026-06-24 16:26:24:00

Korea's bid to bring ETF money home falls short

South Korea's attempt to lure money back home by approving domestic single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds has shown little impact: Korean investors continue to hold large positions in competing Hong Kong-listed products. According to data released Tuesday by the Korea Securities Depository, Korean investors' holdings of Hong Kong-listed single-stock leveraged ETFs surged in May and remained elevated through June 21, even after Korea introduced competing products on May 27. At the end of A

2026-06-23 15:21:49:00