dailypro2020

KOSPI at 8,000 Yet Foreigners Dump 44 Trillion Won: Korea's Great Rotation KOSPI just hit 8,000 for the first time in its history, up 101% year-on-year. In a normal market, that would be cause for celebration. But something deeply contradictory is happening beneath the surface: foreign investors have sold a record 44.7 trillion won ($34.6 billion) in Korean equities this year — the largest foreign exodus ever recorded, surpassing the 28 trillion won sold during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis by a factor of 1.6x. The selling has now run for 16 consecutive trading days, the longest streak since 2009's 17-day record. What makes this particularly striking is the concentration. 82% of the selling — 36.7 trillion won — has been in just two stocks: SK Hynix (20.7 trillion won sold) and Samsung Electronics (16 trillion won sold). Foreign ownership of SK Hynix has plunged from 58.3% at end-2024 to 42.1% in May 2026. Samsung Electronics saw its foreign ownership drop from 54.7...

Korea's Triple Economic Crisis: Rate Hikes, a 1,500 Won USD-KRW Exchange Rate, and K-Shaped Polarization Three Simultaneous Pressures: Korea's Macroeconomic Perfect Storm South Korea's economy faces what local media is calling a 'triple whammy.' The Bank of Korea is signaling additional rate hikes, the USD-KRW exchange rate is approaching 1,500 won, and corporate/household polarization has reached record extremes. These three pressures — monetary tightening, external uncertainty, and domestic demand weakness — are converging simultaneously in a way that tests the resilience of Asia's fourth-largest economy. Last month's industrial activity data showed an unusual simultaneous decline in production (-0.8%), consumption (-1.2%), and facility investment (-2.3%). Producer prices have risen for eight consecutive months, the longest streak since the 2008 commodity super-cycle. On the surface, South Korea's nominal GDP growth looks strong — the BOK recen...