[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Seoul, South Korea – Despite market headwinds, NVIDIA emerged as the most-purchased overseas stock by Korean retail investors (“Seohak Ants”) in August, according to KakaoPay Securities on September 10.
KakaoPay Securities’ analysis of trading activity and realized returns showed that U.S. equities recorded an average monthly return of 6.5%, slightly down from July’s 7.8%. NVIDIA was the top pick, even with a -2% realized return, as investors reaffirmed its leadership in AI-driven growth despite weaker datacenter sales and China-related risks.
Ethereum-related products also ranked high, supported by the cryptocurrency’s record rally. These included the ETHU ETF (+25%) and Bitmain Immersion Technologies (BMNR, +26%).
Top-performing overseas investors (“super traders”), who ranked in the top 10% for three consecutive months, posted an average return of 47.5% in August, down from 53.1% in July. Their portfolios showed heavy allocations to growth stocks such as Tempus AI (+34%), Tesla (+8%), and IonQ (+7%), alongside short-term bond ETFs (SGOV) for volatility hedging.
In Korea, average equity returns stood at 3.3%, down 4.8 percentage points from July. Doosan Enerbility (-6%) was the most-purchased domestic stock, though profitability concerns weighed on sentiment despite its Czech nuclear order. Samsung Electronics (-2%) and SK Hynix (-2%) also declined on U.S. semiconductor export restrictions to China.
Policy themes influenced trading as well. Following the Korea-U.S. summit highlighting shipbuilding and defense investments, Daehan Shipbuilding (-7%) and Hanwha Aerospace (-11%) entered the top purchase rankings. Meanwhile, LG Innotek (+8%) gained from expectations of benefiting from government AI semiconductor initiatives.
Korea’s top-performing retail traders posted an average return of 35.9% in August, slightly lower than July’s 37.6%, with positions spanning defense, shipbuilding, biotech, and new growth sectors.
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
