SK hynix ADRs List This Week as Market Variable

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "AI-based personalized news recommendation and summarization service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.

1. SK hynix ADRs List in U.S. on the 10th; IMF Korea Growth Forecast Also Awaited

- Key Summary: A series of major events warranting global investor attention are scheduled this week. SK hynix's American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) will list on the 10th, cited as an event that will affect the domestic stock market and the won-dollar exchange rate. The IMF will release its "July World Economic Outlook" on the 8th. Having proposed a 1.9% Korea growth rate last April, the IMF is expected to raise the figure substantially this time. With the Bank of Korea and the OECD having already lifted their estimates to 2.6%, some foreign research institutions have proposed figures as high as 4%. Meanwhile, the minutes of the U.S. June FOMC will also be released this week. As the first meeting under Chairman Kevin Warsh, the statement and dot plot were hawkish, but with no clear signals at the press conference, the minutes offer an opportunity to confirm assessments of inflation and the labor market as well as the possibility of further rate hikes.

2. "Samsung-nix Still Undervalued"…Hong Kong Capital Widens Its Stride in Korean Stock Investment

- Key Summary: Hong Kong asset managers' enthusiasm for Korean stock investment is running hot. CSOP Asset Management's "SK hynix 2x Leverage ETF" reached $16.8 billion in AUM, surpassing Hong Kong's flagship index ETF, the "Tracker Fund of Hong Kong" ($16.2 billion), to become Hong Kong's largest ETF. Last month, CSOP also listed a KOSPI 200 ETF on the Hong Kong exchange, in which the IT sector accounts for about 66%, with Samsung Electronics (005930) and SK hynix alone making up about 60%. Ee Fai Kam, CSOP's chief investment officer (CIO), said, "Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are among the most profitable companies in the world, but compared with their U.S. peers they remain undervalued." Analysts noted that with the spread of AI agents and enterprise AI services increasing token usage and heightening the need for infrastructure investment, the outlook for memory semiconductor demand is also bright.

3. Korean ETFs Emerge as Global 'Test Bed' for New Products

- Key Summary: The Korean ETF market is establishing itself as a key test bed for gauging whether new global products will succeed. With Korean ETF net assets surpassing 500 trillion won, the market is seen as leading investment trends. Han Dong-hoon, Asia head at U.S. ETF specialist Amplify, said, "There is a sense that if a product is judged popular in Korea, its chances of success are that much higher." In collaboration with Samsung Asset Management, Amplify has launched products in the U.S. market such as "Amplify TLTP," which localizes the "KODEX U.S. 30-Year Treasury Target Covered Call" strategy. Next month, it is preparing seven new "Top 10 Series" products reflecting Korean ETF strategies, covering nuclear power, semiconductors, robotics, defense, and space.

4. Seoul Foreign Exchange Market Opens 24 Hours…Concerns Over 'Half-Baked' Trading Activity

- Key Summary: The Seoul foreign exchange market shifted to a five-day, 24-hour trading system starting the 6th. However, according to a Seoul Economic Daily analysis of June won-dollar trading volume, 77.3% of all trading was concentrated in the daytime hours from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while the overnight hours accounted for just 2.4%. Lee Seung-heon, an economics professor at Soongsil University and former deputy governor of the Bank of Korea, pointed out, "For trading to become genuinely active, foreign financial institutions must be able to borrow and settle the won they need in a timely manner even during New York and London hours." Meanwhile, this 24-hour opening is one of the prerequisites for inclusion in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) developed markets index, and the government is also pursuing the Registered Foreign Institution (RFI) system and the establishment of an offshore won settlement network.

5. NYSE·Nasdaq VIP Forum: 80% of Attendees Are Korean Securities Firms

- Key Summary: At the "NYSE International Retail Forum" held for the first time last month by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), about 80% of attendees were officials from Korean securities firms. Given that it is a closed-door event inviting only overseas securities firm officials who are core NYSE clients, the gathering illustrates the changed standing of Korea's financial investment industry. Analysts attribute the result to a combination of the scale of Korean investors' overseas stock orders, the technological prowess of mobile trading systems (MTS), and favorable assessments of the domestic stock market's advance. In London, England, interest has continued as well, with about 60 officials from European pension funds and asset managers attending the "Korea Capital Market Conference" jointly held by Samsung Securities (016360) and the Korea Exchange late last year.

6. Trump Eliminates 702 Regulations…Announces Largest-Ever Deregulation

- Key Summary: U.S. President Donald Trump announced his largest-ever deregulation plan to scrap 702 regulations and cut costs on the scale of $1.5 trillion (about 2,295 trillion won). Key measures include environmental impact assessment requirements for energy projects and scrapping the greenhouse gas endangerment finding enacted in 2009, with the changes expected to take official effect as early as September. The move is attributed to a political situation in which his approval rating has fallen to 34% ahead of the November midterm elections. However, analysts noted that with a high likelihood of nullification lawsuits from civic groups and Democratic-leaning state governments, whether the measures actually take effect will depend on legal battles.