South Korean brokerage shares that surged in the first half are sliding as the stock market weakens. Falling trading value and worries over slower third-quarter earnings are weighing on prices. Daily average trading value in the third quarter fell 41.7 percent from the previous quarter, with ETF and overseas stock trading also declining. The market estimates combined third-quarter net profit at five major brokerages fell sharply year on year. Dividends and shareholder-return policies could support any rebound.

South Korea\'s financial investment industry is bracing for a parliamentary audit that is expected to focus on investor protection and information security. Lawmakers are set to question regulators over the rollout and supervision of single-stock leveraged and inverse exchange-traded products after disclosures of retail losses. The expanding hacking incidents across financial institutions have also put securities firms\' security and internal control systems under scrutiny, alongside calls for tougher preventive inspections.