Samsung Electronics Breaks Six-Quarter Dividend Drop Streak

* Editor's note: AI PRISM (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an artificial intelligence-based personalized news recommendation and summary service developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six news items tailored to each reader type.

1. "Shareholder Returns Aren't Over" — Samsung Weathers Ex-Dividend Day

Key summary: Samsung Electronics closed at 272,500 won, up 0.93% from the previous session, on the ex-dividend date for its 30 trillion won special third-quarter dividend, breaking a jinx of six consecutive quarters of weakness on ex-dividend days. Analysts said the stock's appeal after a 5.43% plunge the previous day, combined with expectations of another large shareholder return at year-end, helped limit losses. Eugene Investment & Securities estimated that Samsung Electronics' annual shareholder return pool stands at 90 trillion to 110 trillion won, with 55 trillion to 75 trillion won remaining for the year-end settlement, which could lift the annual dividend per share to between 13,046 won and 16,115 won. Samsung Electronics said it would disclose the specific dividend amount after releasing earnings in late October, making next month's announcement a key event.

2. Lee Hyoung-il: "Emergency Buyback if Treasury Yields Rise Excessively"

Key summary: The three-year treasury bond closed at 4.076%, the five-year at 4.276% and the 10-year at 4.476%, with yields falling across all maturities as prices rose, partly reversing the previous day's sharp increase. Wariness eased after Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hyoung-il said at a Cabinet meeting that the government would immediately implement market stabilization measures, including emergency buybacks, if yields rose excessively. Still, upward pressures remain, including the results of a revised national tax revenue estimate due on the 30th, whether excess tax revenue will be used to repay government bonds, and the continued rise of the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield above 5.2%. Lee Jae-hyung, a researcher at Yuanta Securities Korea, said the government's buyback remarks could act as a trigger for buying.

3. As ETF Growth Stalls, Products Under 5 Billion Won Are Delisted One After Another

Key summary: Total net assets of domestic ETFs stood at 456.6064 trillion won as of the previous day, down 72.1691 trillion won, or 13.6%, from the record high of 528.7755 trillion won on June 19. Three products, including Kiwoom Asset Management's K-Semiconductor North American Supply Chain fund, were delisted this month, and Korea Investment Management plans to remove three more next month, accelerating the cleanup of small ETFs. The number of newly listed ETFs each month has fallen from 32 in May to 18 in June, 11 in August and 13 this month, with new listings concentrated in narrow themes such as high-bandwidth memory, AI semiconductor materials and agentic AI. Industry officials said investor sentiment has weakened broadly since regulations on single-stock leveraged ETFs took effect, and that products launched in the second half lack differentiation.

4. KOSPI Falls for Second Straight Day as Foreigners Sell 3 Trillion Won [Market Signal]

Key summary: The KOSPI closed at 6,870.81, down 18.93 points, or 0.27%, from the previous session, marking a second consecutive day of weakness. Foreign investors net sold 2.903 trillion won on the main board, extending large-scale selling of around 3 trillion won for a second day, while individuals bought a net 1.1432 trillion won and institutions 121.1 billion won. Sentiment was pressured overnight as the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield surged to 5.24%, international oil prices rose and U.S. technology stocks fell, including AMD (-3.61%), Qualcomm (-7.17%) and Intel (-5.67%). The KOSDAQ, by contrast, closed at 849.80, up 3.22 points, or 0.38%, rising for a third consecutive session.

5. [Exclusive] Japan's Largest IB Daiwa Securities Exits Korean Bond Market After 15 Years

Key summary: Daiwa Securities, Japan's largest investment bank, has fully withdrawn its Korea debt capital markets desk 15 years after receiving Financial Services Commission approval in 2011. Analysts said a lack of deals since it arranged samurai bonds for Shinhan Bank and KT last year, along with deepening dominance by a handful of global investment banks, removed the incentive to continue the business. Based on Bloomberg data, the combined share of the top three arrangers of Korean paper — HSBC, Citi and Crédit Agricole — exceeded 40% for a second straight year, the highest concentration among major Asian issuing countries. Beyond Daiwa Securities, Nomura Financial Investment has also cut staff, part of an accelerating retreat by Japanese brokerages from the Korean market.

6. Down 9.4% in a Month — Gold Loses Momentum Sharply

Key summary: On the KRX gold market, gold with 99.99% purity closed at 183,940 won per gram, down 19,070 won, or 9.4%, from 203,010 won on the 28th of last month. Analysts attributed the drop to a stronger dollar and rising Treasury yields on expectations of further U.S. rate increases, which sharply reduced the relative appeal of non-interest-bearing gold. Investment demand has not faded despite the price slide: according to the World Gold Council, global gold ETFs drew a net $18 billion in inflows in August, the second-largest monthly figure on record. NH Investment & Securities expects inflation concerns to ease gradually from March next year and maintains its forecast that gold will retake the $5,000-per-ounce level within the year.