Home›Global Markets›Trade & Tariffs›South Korean retail investors shift $4.5B to US stocks…

South Korean retail investors shift $4.5B to US stocks in July

July buying totaled a net $4.5 billion in US stocks, with about $840 million directed to SK Hynix’s US-listed depositary receipts.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

South Korean retail investors have been increasing allocations to US equities, moving away from their home market as confidence appears to wane, according to LiveMint Markets. The outlet reports that these investors bought a net $4.5 billion in US stocks in July, even while South Korea’s benchmark traded in a bull phase.

The buying is concentrated in technology and semiconductors, with a preference that includes leveraged products rather than purely diversified US exposure. LiveMint Markets notes that roughly $840 million went into SK Hynix’s US-listed depositary receipts.

The shift is tied to how South Korea’s prior surge was driven by big semiconductor names, particularly Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. LiveMint Markets says the KOSPI rose about 120% in the first half of 2026, with Samsung up around 170% and SK Hynix up more than 300%, and warns that similar concentration and momentum trades can cut both ways.

LiveMint Markets also points to structural differences versus a home-market-style crash, noting that South Korean retail flows alone are unlikely to destabilize Wall Street given the US market’s depth and diversification. It highlights that while US concentration remains elevated, the Magnificent Seven account for about one-third of the S&P 500 and semiconductors represent roughly 19 cents of every dollar allocated to the index, and it adds that leveraged US ETFs hold about $218 billion, with technology and semiconductor exposure around 67% of that total.

Latest closeS&P 500 7,785.76 ▼0.2%|Kospi 6,813.34 ▲3.6%

More like this

Sources