South Korean Retail Investors Boost US Stock Purchases 3-Fold to $1.947B Amid KOSPI Volatility

According to Korea Securities Depository Savero, from July 1 to 17, South Korean individual investors recorded net purchases of $1.947 billion in US stocks, triple the $632.95 million purchased in June. The surge follows a sharp 25% drop in the KOSPI index this month and heightened volatility driven by semiconductor concentration risk, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix accounting for over 50% of the market's total capitalization.

Korean retail traders shifted to US-listed index ETFs, with TIGER S&P 500 and KODEX Nasdaq-100 recording the largest individual net purchases of approximately $1.611 billion and $986 million respectively in the week of July 10-16.