SK Square Co Ltd — MarketDX

402340.KO▲impact 4

Seoul Stocks Surge 17.91%, Shattering Record for Strongest Single-Day Gain on Chip Stock Strength

South Korea's composite stock index closed up 1,001.89 points, or 17.91%, at 6,595.45, marking the strongest single-day surge in history and shattering the previous record of an 11.95% jump on October 30, 2008. The rally was fueled by strength in semiconductor stocks after Microsoft reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 earnings, with both sales and cloud computing growth exceeding forecasts. Samsung Electronics soared 26.81%, SK hynix surged 29.95%, Hanmi Semiconductor jumped 27.98%, and SK Square climbed 29.91%. Automaker and shipbuilder stocks also posted strong gains, with Hyundai Motor up 10.54% and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries rising 7.37%.

000660.KO ▲005930.KO ▲042700.KO ▲402340.KO ▲005380.KO ▲329180.KO ▲

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South Korea's KOSPI surges 4.7% at one point, rebounding from April low on foreign buying of semiconductor stocks

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index surged as much as 4.7% during trading on the 21st, rebounding from its lowest level since April. The index had fallen as much as 1.3% in early trading before turning higher. Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and SK Square were the biggest contributors to the gains, with foreign and domestic institutional investors mainly net buying tech stocks while retail investors were net sellers. According to Sean Oh of NH Investment Securities, South Korea's exports in the first 20 days of July hit a record high, with semiconductor exports surging 180.6% year-on-year to 22.11 billion dollars, accounting for 40.3% of total exports, which boosted semiconductor shares. JPMorgan strategists maintained an overweight rating on South Korean stocks, setting a 12-month base target of 12,500 for the KOSPI, citing a bullish AI cycle and fundamentals. The Kosdaq index of smaller companies also reversed early losses, rising as much as 0.8%.

000660.KO ▲005930.KO ▲402340.KO ▲

Semiconductors ▲Artificial Intelligence ▲

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South Korea ruling party proposes law change to ease SK Hynix capital raising for fabs

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party of Korea has proposed amending a law to allow chipmaker SK Hynix to set up joint ventures with outside investors to build factories. The current law on strategic industries with cutting-edge technologies forbids a subsidiary of a subsidiary from such moves, directly affecting SK Hynix, which is a unit of SK Square under SK Inc. If passed, the amendment would let SK Hynix attract outside capital for new fabs while retaining at least a 50% stake. The lawmakers said fast construction of fabs is needed to compete globally and that traditional capital raising is insufficient, with SK Hynix having raised 26.5 billion dollars in a U.S. share sale last week but expected to need far more funds. The proposed change also requires any new venture to have its headquarters outside the greater Seoul area to stimulate regional economies.

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Semiconductors ▲Critical Materials & Supply Chain ▲

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Artificial Intelligence▲impact 4

SK Hynix debuts on Nasdaq with $26.5 billion listing

SK Hynix is set to debut on the Nasdaq with a $26.5 billion listing, marking the payoff of a risky bet by South Korean billionaire Chey Tae-won. Chey's SK Group acquired the then loss-making Hynix in 2012 and invested heavily in high-bandwidth memory chips, a niche technology that later became critical for Nvidia's AI accelerators. The wager helped SK Hynix become the world's largest producer of HBM chips, with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calling SK its largest memory partner. Chey, who is not a direct shareholder of SK Hynix but controls a stake through SK Inc and SK Square, has an estimated wealth of $5.4 billion according to Forbes. The listing comes amid concerns that AI-driven memory demand may not keep pace with soaring prices and expansion plans.

000660.KO ▲034730.KO ▲402340.KO ▲NVDA ▲

Artificial Intelligence ▲Semiconductors ▲

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Asia’s Tech Stocks Tumble as Apple and Microsoft Pass AI Chip Costs to Consumers

Asian technology stocks fell sharply on Friday after Apple and Microsoft raised product prices, confirming that soaring AI chip costs are now hitting consumers. SoftBank Group dropped more than 12%, leading a broad selloff, while South Korea’s KOSPI fell from its June 25 close of 8,930.31 to around 8,600 in early trading. Apple increased prices on MacBooks and iPads by up to $300, citing surging memory and storage chip costs driven by AI data center demand, and its shares closed more than 6% lower. Microsoft followed with Xbox console price increases of $100 to $150 per model, effective August 1, and its stock fell 3.5%. In Asia, SK Hynix and Samsung fell more than 4%, SK Square declined around 7%, Advantest dropped more than 6%, and Tokyo Electron fell over 2%. SoftBank faced additional pressure as its chip design subsidiary Arm Holdings fell 3.2% overnight, and analysts noted that reports of OpenAI potentially delaying its IPO to 2027 could cap investor enthusiasm for SoftBank, a prominent backer.

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Semiconductors ▲Artificial Intelligence ▲

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