Ultra-wealthy investor with 3 billion won in cash overhauls 'war trade' portfolio... scoops up 130 billion won of Samsung Electronics [MZ Money Diary]

[The Financial News] High-net-worth investors have largely exited nuclear power and defense stocks, which had been leading the market during the Middle East war phase, and shifted their portfolios toward semiconductor names. This appears to reflect a move to lock in profits on stocks that surged during the war, while rebuilding positions with a focus on leading semiconductor shares.

According to Samsung Securities on the 6th, an analysis of domestic stock trading by clients with financial assets of at least 3 billion won showed that their top two net buys in March were Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Before the Middle East conflict, in January and February, Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor were among the top names, but buying interest in Hyundai Motor dropped sharply in March and it fell out of the rankings. In contrast, buying became even more concentrated in leading semiconductor stocks.
The tilt toward Samsung Electronics was particularly striking. Net purchases totaled about 156 billion won over January and February combined, but in March alone investors snapped up 114.3 billion won worth of the stock. When adding roughly 17.9 billion won of Samsung Electronics preferred shares, total March buying exceeds 130 billion won. Net buying of Samsung Electronics was about 3.5 times that of SK hynix, which stood at 32.5 billion won, underscoring a strategy of focusing on the bellwether within the semiconductor sector.

An aggressive tone was also evident in Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) investments. KODEX Leverage ETF, which offers twice the exposure to the KOSPI 200 Index, ranked third in net buying in March at 20.8 billion won. In addition, the newly listed KoAct KOSDAQ Active ETF came in fifth at 13.9 billion won, indicating early, proactive investment in the KOSDAQ market. This extends the pattern seen in January and February, when investors had been heavy buyers of the Samsung KODEX KOSDAQ 150 ETF, into the active ETF space.
On the sell side, a clear pattern of profit-taking emerged. Doosan Enerbility was the most heavily sold stock in net terms last month, while Hanwha Aerospace, HANMI Semiconductor, and LG Chem also ranked high on the net selling list. As nuclear power and defense stocks rallied sharply in a short period on expectations of benefits from Middle East geopolitical risks and higher oil prices, high-net-worth investors appear to have taken profits mainly on their existing holdings.
hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter