Lookonchain APP

App Store

Analysis: Excessive weighting of chip stocks pushes South Korean stock market into dangerous territory.

1 hours ago

The global AI boom has pushed Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix’s stock prices to record highs this year, but the rally has also exposed the structural fragility of South Korea’s stock market, which is unaccustomed to sharp volatility. Together, Samsung and SK Hynix now hold a record 60% weighting in South Korea’s KOSPI index, up from around 40% two years ago. Last week, after a sharp market sell-off, regulators twice halted KOSPI trading to stabilize market confidence. Plans to launch large-cap stock options including SK Hynix have been delayed. One key concern is that retail investors are borrowing to buy Samsung and SK Hynix shares, exposing them to margin calls—where brokers demand additional cash if stock prices fall below a certain level. The over-concentration of market risk in these two stocks could also prompt institutional investors to pull back, amplifying downward pressure on share prices. Mathieu Lachet, head of equity research at Julius Baer, said recent market moves serve as an important reminder of concentration risk. When investor positions become crowded, periods of high volatility are to be expected.

Relevant content

Binance will add new leveraged trading pairs, including XPL/U, XPL/USD1, and others.

According to an official announcement, Binance Margin will add cross-margin trading pairs for RE/U, RE/USD1, XPL/U, and XPL/USD1 at 16:00 (GMT+8) on June 30, 2026.

1 seconds ago

South Korea's KOSPI Index rose 2% intraday.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 2.00% intraday. Samsung Electronics gained 4.49%, and SK Hynix rose 1.98%.

1 seconds ago

ECB sources: Despite a possible delay in interest rate hikes, rate hikes remain on the agenda.

ECB sources stated that while a rate hike could be delayed, it remains on the central bank’s agenda. The sharp drop in oil prices has eased pressure on the ECB to raise rates in July, boosting the likelihood of a September rate hike. (Jinshi)

1 seconds ago

Goldman Sachs: Each 1% rise in the weightings of Samsung and SK Hynix could lead to foreign investors withdrawing around $20 billion from the South Korean market.

Goldman Sachs' Timothy Moe and John Kwon noted that a 1 percentage point rise in the combined weight of Samsung and SK Hynix in South Korea's stock index could prompt foreign investors to pull around $2 billion from the South Korean market, as the U.S. Investment Company Act requires portfolios to meet diversification thresholds. Goldman Sachs also stated that a surge in capital into leveraged ETFs, combined with rising options trading and retail margin trading, has created a structural environment where daily price volatility far outpaces what corporate fundamentals can support. South Korea's asset management growth since last year has stemmed mainly from investment gains rather than new inflows. As valuations rise, institutional investors' mechanical exposure to market volatility has also increased—a trend often linked to hedging strategies. This means even a mild market correction could trigger a cascade of forced selling.

1 seconds ago

Fund managed by 25-year-old AI stock guru discloses new heavy position in crypto token SHAZ, which surges 14.07% in US after-hours trading.

25-year-old Wall Street AI stock prodigy Leopold Aschenbrenner’s Situational Awareness LP disclosed in its latest 13G filing that the fund holds a 19.9% stake in SharonAI Holdings (SHAZ). The filing lists Leopold Aschenbrenner and Carl Shulman as filers. SharonAI Holdings Inc is a high-performance computing (HPC) firm that deploys large-scale energy and computing infrastructure and manages assets for the U.S. energy market and infrastructure. Per Bitget market data, SHAZ rose 14.07% in U.S. after-hours trading, currently trading at $92.4.

1 seconds ago

Mizuho and TD Cowen raise Allegro’s target price; market seeks beneficiaries of the AI wave beyond leading stocks.

US-based sensor and power semiconductor solutions provider Allegro MicroSystems (ALGM) rose 14.7% on Monday, closing at $66.37 and hitting an intraday record high of $67.41. Mizuho Securities analyst Vijay Rakesh maintained the stock’s "Outperform" rating and raised its price target from $54 to $67, citing the company’s gains from surging demand for current sensors, fan drivers, and power semiconductors driven by the boom in AI servers. TD Cowen also named Allegro one of the "best picks" among small- and mid-cap stocks, setting a $70 price target. The firm notes that automotive electrification, autonomous driving, and AI data centers are all long-term growth drivers for the company, with its data center business currently accounting for around 14% of Allegro’s revenue. These rating adjustments signal Wall Street is seeking AI beneficiaries beyond Nvidia and Micron. AI data centers require not only GPUs and high-bandwidth storage, but also power supply, cooling, sensing, connectivity, and control systems. As capital expenditures from cloud vendors translate into actual construction orders, more small and mid-sized hardware firms are being included in AI-related deal pipelines. Analysts also point out that second-tier AI-related stocks typically have lower liquidity and higher valuation elasticity, making their share prices more sensitive to broker rating and price target adjustments. Allegro’s rally reflects market optimism about the expansion of the AI hardware supply chain, and also shows investors are willing to pay a higher premium for companies that are "indirect beneficiaries of AI".

1 seconds ago