Finance

Korean stock market volatility brings brokerage shares back into focus on trading turnover

Volatility in South Korea\'s stock market has surged, with sharp rallies in large semiconductor and AI shares followed by steep pullbacks. Record-high trading turnover has lifted attention on brokerage shares, which lagged the index despite earlier gains this year. Average daily turnover hit 106.2 trillion won in May, and ETF turnover rose after single-stock leveraged and inverse products listed. Analysts expect second-quarter brokerage fee income to rise, though investment gains remain a key risk.

Finance

3 trillion won pours into single-stock leveraged ETFs as volatility pushes investors into losses

Investors in single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are increasingly facing losses, as volatility in semiconductor shares widens after strong inflows on listing day. Brokerage data showed most investors in major products were in the red, in some cases nearly all. Individual net buying in two TIGER leveraged ETFs exceeded 3 trillion won in total. Regulators have launched an emergency review of market conditions and investor protection.