KOSPI’s Week: The Whole 1.8% Loss Was Friday
KOSPI finished last week down 1.8% — but the whole loss was Friday. The index round-tripped a Monday crash by Thursday; Samsung didn’t, and KOSDAQ rose 4.6%.
EWY
Did the Bank of Korea Raise Rates? Yes, to 3%.
On Aug 27 the Bank of Korea raised its base rate to 3% and its governor said “preemptive” 14 times — the same week the Fed’s Warsh refused to signal his next move.
Samsung ₩110tn Return Is a Range, Not a Number
Samsung’s record ₩110tn return is a range, not a fixed number — and ₩15tn of it is an employee buyback, not a cancellation. What the filing means for EWY.
Korea ETF Premium Rule Doesn’t Touch Your EWY
Korea tightened how far an ETF can drift from its value and threatened to block listings. But the rule stops at the border — your US-listed EWY is outside it.
When Does Korea Trade Nvidia? Before the US.
Nvidia reports after the US close on Aug 26. Seoul opens 3h40m later — the first major market to trade the print in cash, on the same Thursday morning the…
Hyundai’s US Bet Grew. Its Stock Did Not.
Hyundai’s CEO said the Georgia plant may grow to 800,000 cars a year. The stock closed down 0.60% that day. Why Seoul reads US localization as cost, not growth.
DRAM and EWY — the Same Two Korean Stocks
There is a memory ETF now. It trades on the Cboe BZX exchange under the ticker DRAM, it launched on April 2, 2026, it charges 0.65%, and the issuer calls it a “pure play” — the first-ever memory stock ETF. Roughly half of that pure play is two companies listed in Seoul. The Korea ETF … Read more
If You Own EWY, You Are Already Buying on August 31
MSCI’s August review takes effect on the August 31 close. Index money buys and sells that day whatever the price, and if you hold EWY it buys for you.
EWY’s Third-Largest Holding Is Mostly SK Hynix
EWY’s No. 3 holding is SK Square at 3.44% — and its main asset is a 20.50% stake in SK Hynix, the No. 2 holding. The disclosed weight understates it.
How Much of Korea’s 11% Week Was 3 Days? 88%.
The KOSPI rose 11.49% last week but 88% of that came in three sessions, while the KOSDAQ built 84.5% of its gain on Monday alone. A US account holding EWY received +8.22%.