Korean Leveraged ETF Enthusiasm Cools Sharply: Samsung and SK Hynix-Related Products See Concentrated Retail Selling

Odaily News – After South Korea raised capital thresholds and added trading restrictions, the leveraged trading capital previously concentrated in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix has contracted notably. However, some market participants worry that the restricted leveraged capital may shift toward index-based or overseas leveraged ETFs, and the effectiveness of the regulatory measures still requires further observation.

Looking at specific targets, eight products linked to SK Hynix saw net selling of approximately 1.2415 trillion KRW, while eight products tied to Samsung Electronics recorded net selling of around 531.6 billion KRW.

The cooling in trading activity is equally pronounced. The aforementioned 16 products posted an average daily trading volume of roughly 11.6787 trillion KRW from their listing in May through July 30. Since August, this has dropped to about 1.0059 trillion KRW, a decline of more than 90%, now equivalent to only about 8% of the level seen before the regulatory measures were implemented.

The regulatory tightening began on July 31. South Korea's financial regulators raised the base margin threshold for single-stock leveraged ETFs from 10 million KRW to 30 million KRW; starting August 19, investors are also required to complete simulated trading before transacting in related products. Regulators plan to further increase the minimum trading unit, targeting an adjustment to 20 shares by November. Before the regulations were introduced, single-stock leveraged ETFs had enjoyed strong popularity among South Korean retail investors. Between May 27 and July 30, individual investors cumulatively net purchased approximately 15.2876 trillion KRW across the aforementioned 16 products, with SK Hynix-related products attracting about 9.9365 trillion KRW and Samsung Electronics-related products drawing around 5.3511 trillion KRW. (Newsis)