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%.
Korea market structure
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.
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.
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.
How Korea Answered a Crash With Debt Relief
Korean stocks fell 5.80% on Wednesday. A sell sidecar tripped six minutes after the open, foreign investors sold roughly ₩3.5 trillion (about US$2.5 billion), and the index closed at 6,471.17. Two days later, on Friday morning at eight o’clock, the Deputy Prime Minister sat down with the heads of the financial regulators and the central … 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.
SK Hynix Will Cancel 3.3% of Its Shares. Who Gains?
SK Hynix will buy back and cancel ₩40tn of stock, about 3.3% of its shares. The arithmetic lifts its parent’s stake without SK Square buying anything.
SKHY Trades 43% Above SK Hynix in Seoul
SKHY priced 4.84% above SK Hynix’s Seoul shares in July. By August 14 the gap was 43.41% — Seoul fell 24.75% while the Nasdaq ADR rose 11.63%.
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%.