South Korea's Five Major Brokerages Post Record Q2 Profits as KOSPI Surges Above 9,000

According to The Fact, South Korea's five major brokerages—Mirae Asset Securities, Korea Financial Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities, NH Investment & Securities, and Kiwoom Securities—are expected to post record Q2 operating profits totaling 5.13 trillion won, driven by a 39.8% surge in daily trading volumes to 118 trillion won following KOSPI's breakthrough above 9,000 in June and the May launch of single-stock leveraged ETFs.

ETF trading as a percentage of total Korean stock exchange volume expanded from 40% in Q1 to 49% in Q2. NH Investment & Securities, which reported earnings first, achieved record first-half net profit of 965.2 billion won (up 107.6% year-over-year). Beyond brokerage gains, securities firms benefited from liquidity provider revenues from the leveraged ETF market.