Why Korea's new leveraged ETFs are under scrutiny

South Korea's financial regulator has launched a fact-finding review of newly listed single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix after signs of unusually heavy trading raised questions about how the products generated more than 10 trillion won ($6.65 billion) in turnover on their first day. According to industry sources Monday, the Financial Supervisory Service recently contacted several brokerages acting as liquidity providers, or LPs, and asset manager

2026-06-01 15:07:20:00

Korea Investment, OKX acquire 20% stakes in Coinone

Korea Investment & Securities is set to become a major shareholder of cryptocurrency exchange Coinone after agreeing to acquire a 20 percent stake, underscoring traditional finance's growing push into the nation's digital asset market. Coinone said Friday that Korea Investment & Securities and OKX Ventures would each acquire a 20 percent stake through a combination of newly issued shares and existing shares sold by Coinone CEO Cha Myung-hoon and Com2uS Holdings. Following the transaction, Cha wi

2026-05-29 17:36:46:00

Korean investors chase US stocks despite Kospi rally

South Korea’s efforts to draw retail investors back to domestic markets through reshoring investment accounts, incentives and a surging Kospi are failing to slow the retail rush into US stocks. According to the Korea Securities Depository on Thursday, Korean investors’ custody holdings of US equities climbed to $200.4 billion as of May 26, already exceeding last year’s full-year record within just five months. The figure marks a 22 percent increase from the end of 2025. The surge was driven larg

2026-05-28 15:22:43:00

Samsung units acquire 4% stake in Dunamu

Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card said Thursday they will jointly acquire a 4 percent stake in Dunamu, operator of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, to expand their digital asset businesses. The three Samsung affiliates will acquire 1.39 million shares from Kakao affiliates in an all-cash deal worth 612.8 billion won ($446 million). Samsung Securities will take a 2 percent stake, while Samsung SDS and Samsung Card will each acquire 1 percent. The transaction is schedu

2026-05-28 13:19:46:00

‘Double the gains’: Leveraged Samsung, SK products ignite retail frenzy

South Korea’s first single-stock leveraged products tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix surged by double digits in their trading debut Wednesday morning as the Kospi held firmly above the 8,000 level. Samsung Asset Management dominated trading activity, while Hana Asset Management posted the highest returns. According to the Korea Exchange, Samsung Electronics rose 2.68 percent, or 8,000 won, to close at 307,000 won ($204.35), while SK hynix climbed 9.31 percent to close at around 2.243 mil

2026-05-27 17:51:39:00

SK hynix joins Samsung, Micron in $1tr club

AI-driven rally pushes all three global memory chipmakers above trillion-dollar mark SK hynix joined the $1 trillion market capitalization club on Wednesday, meaning the world’s three largest memory chipmakers are now all valued at more than $1 trillion amid the AI-driven semiconductor rally. As of afternoon trading, SK hynix shares were up 11.94 percent, or 230,000 won ($153.39), at 2.27 million won. The stock opened more than 11 percent higher and maintained strong gains throughout the session

2026-05-27 10:30:58:00

Samsung Asset draws record W2.4tr for Korea’s first single-stock leveraged products

Samsung Asset Management said Tuesday it will launch Korea’s first single-stock leveraged products tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix on Wednesday. The firm said it will list the Kodex Samsung Electronics single stock leverage and Kodex SK hynix single stock leverage products, which aim to deliver twice the daily returns of the underlying shares. The two products attracted a combined 2.4 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in assets under management ahead of launch, marking the largest-ever ETF pr

2026-05-26 16:20:41:00

Kakao Mobility becomes early test of Korea’s tougher listing rules

Kakao Mobility is considering a Nasdaq listing as pressure mounts from financial investors seeking an exit nearly nine years after their initial investment, as South Korea’s planned crackdown on spin-off listings of large conglomerates complicates the company’s domestic IPO options. According to investment banking sources on Monday, Kakao Mobility has selected Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and UBS as lead underwriters for a potential Nasdaq listing through American depositary receipts, or ADSs

2026-05-25 15:35:01:00

Hanwha turns Korea’s industrial rise into global ETF strategy

As the US-China rivalry reshapes global supply chains around security and resilience, global investors are increasingly viewing South Korea as a long-term manufacturing beneficiary rather than simply a China alternative. Against that backdrop, Hanwha Asset Management is pursuing what it calls a “K-ETF export” strategy — packaging Korea’s strategic manufacturing sectors into globally listed exchange-traded funds through partnerships with overseas financial platforms. “Korea is moving beyond the l

2026-05-23 16:00:00:00

[단독] 삼전·닉스 단일종목 레버리지 상품 2만원에 출시

삼성전자와 SK하이닉스(삼전·닉스) 단일종목 레버리지 상품이 오는 27일 상장을 앞둔 가운데, 시초가 2만원으로 책정됐다. 국내 최초 첫 개별종목 레버리지 상품 출시로 본주 가격 대비 최대 97분의 1 가격으로 나올 예정이다. 21일 금융투자업계에 따르면 최근 한국거래소는 자산운용사들이 제시한 삼성전자·SK하이닉스 단일종목 레버리지 상품의 기준가격 2만원 안을 최종 승인했다. 금융감독원이 상품 보수 가격을 심사하지만, 초기 상장가는 운용사가 정하고 거래소가 승인하는 구조다. 일반적으로 국내 ETF 시장에서는 레버리지·인버스 상품을 제외한 신규 상장 ETF의 기준가격(NAV)이 1좌당 1만원으로 설정된다. 이에 따라 상장 첫 거래일 시초 기준가격도 통상 1만원 수준에서 형성된다. 다만 이번 상품은 단일종목 레버리지 상품인 만큼, 운용사들이 초기 상장 가격을 2만원대로 책정한 것으로 풀이된다. 상장가 2만원은 기초 주가와 비교하면 매우 낮다. 삼성전자는 약 30만 원 수준에서 거래되고

2026-05-21 17:50:12:00