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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] SEOUL, June 1, 2026 — Leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have attracted nearly KRW 28 trillion ($20 billion) in trading volume within just three days of their debut, reflecting surging retail interest amid a rally in semiconductor stocks.
According to data from the Korea Exchange and Koscom, a total of KRW 27.87 trillion in transactions was recorded across 16 ETF products—including two inverse funds—between May 27 and May 29.
Daily trading volumes reached KRW 10.42 trillion on the first day, followed by KRW 9.64 trillion and KRW 7.82 trillion on subsequent sessions.
As of May 29, the combined market capitalization of these ETFs stood at KRW 5.33 trillion, with net asset value totaling KRW 5.03 trillion.
Retail investors were the primary drivers of trading activity, engaging heavily in short-term strategies. Over the three-day period, individual investors bought KRW 9.21 trillion worth of the ETFs and sold KRW 5.15 trillion, with sell orders accounting for approximately 55.9% of total purchases.
Performance has also been strong, fueled by the upward momentum in semiconductor stocks. From May 27 to 29, ETFs linked to SK Hynix leveraged products dominated the top rankings, occupying positions No. 2 through No. 8 among all ETFs listed in the domestic market.
The surge underscores heightened speculative interest and growing participation from retail investors seeking amplified exposure to Korea’s semiconductor leaders amid a broader AI-driven market rally.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
