South Korea's KOSPI fell below 7,000, with turnover hitting a year-to-date low, as retail investors and foreign investors posted net sales of over 33 trillion won for the month.
Rising U.S. Treasury yields and the delay in Oracle's data center have weighed on AI investment sentiment. Shares of Samsung and SK Hynix fell more than 5% in a single day, with their stock buyback programs already 85.95% and 66.27% complete, leaving limited room for further repurchases. Currently, brokerage accounts in South Korea hold only KRW 101.63 trillion in funds awaiting market entry. Market attention is focused on the U.S. PCE data scheduled for September 30 and Micron's earnings report.
South Korean memory chip giant offers substantial shareholder returns; won rally may receive key support
If South Korea's two major memory chipmakers raise funds in the local currency market to support their shareholder return programs, the won may sustain its recent gains.
An 'Overlooked' Market Event: Trilateral Intervention by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea—U.S. Treasury Steps In 'Rarely'! Is Bessent Quietly 'Rescuing the Market'?
The U.S. Treasury Department this week unusually intervened in the foreign exchange market, instructing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to engage Wall Street banks to sell euros and buy yen, coordinating with Japan and South Korea in the largest-scale joint foreign exchange intervention in nearly three decades. Analysts believe the move goes beyond merely stabilizing exchange rates; its core objective is to prevent further weakening of Japanese and South Korean asset markets and to mitigate the risk of financial stress spilling over into the AI supply chain. By intervening in the yen through non-dollar transactions, the United States also aims to shift pressure away from the dollar and avoid imposing additional strain on the dollar system.