Korean retail investors sold semiconductor stocks and bought leveraged ETFs in September

According to ME News, on September 6 (UTC+8), data from Korea’s securities information portal shows that between September 1 and 4, Korean retail investors significantly reduced their holdings in several U.S. semiconductor stocks while increasing positions in leveraged semiconductor ETFs. During this period, Korean retail investors net-sold $100 million in Micron, $68.61 million in SanDisk, $49.37 million in Marvell Technology, and $15.56 million in NVIDIA. SK Hynix ADR, which listed on the NYSE in July, was also net-sold for $46.16 million during the same period, following cumulative net purchases of $811 million through the end of August. In contrast, Korean retail investors net-bought $431 million in SOXL (Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares), an ETF designed to deliver three times the daily return of the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Market analysts suggest this shift—from selling individual stocks to buying sector-wide ETFs—may reflect Korean retail investors reducing exposure risk tied to single chip companies while maintaining or increasing their overall bet on the semiconductor sector’s upside. After significant gains in semiconductor stocks, some investors may have chosen to take profits at the individual stock level while preserving or expanding their broad exposure to the semiconductor industry through leveraged ETFs. (Source: ODAILY)