"Now Is the Time to Invest": Number of Active Stock Trading Accounts Up by 6.7 Million This Year

As the stock market rally continues, the number of active stock trading accounts has been rising sharply by nearly 1.7 million a month on average. Despite geopolitical risks in the Middle East, expectations for additional gains are growing on the back of earnings momentum, and more investors are entering the market.
According to the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) on the 3rd, the number of active stock trading accounts stood at 105 million as of the 29th of last month. That is up by 6.7 million in just four months this year, already far exceeding half of last year's full-year increase of 11.72 million. In particular, the number of active accounts has been rising by an average of about 1.68 million per month. That is a 71.4% surge from last year's monthly average of 980,000. In February, when the KOSPI Composite Index first broke above 6,000, the number of accounts jumped by 2.03 million. Even in March, when the market was shaken by the fallout from the Middle East war, it still rose by 1.48 million.
The rapid increase suggests that more investors are rushing into the stock market despite external headwinds such as the Middle East war, driven by expectations of record earnings. Active stock trading accounts refer to brokerage and securities savings accounts with assets of at least 100,000 won and at least one transaction in the past six months. They include general stock accounts, Individual Savings Accounts (ISA), Reshoring Investment Accounts (RIA), and Integrated Investment Accounts (IMA).
The number of stock owners also hit a record high. According to the Korea Securities Depository (KSD), the number of shareholders in listed companies at the end of last year reached about 14,558,479, including corporations, the largest figure ever recorded. Of that total, individual investors alone accounted for 14,423,340.
The rise in underage investors is also notable. Last year, stock owners under the age of 20 numbered 769,624, accounting for 5.3% of the total. In 2020, there were only 273,710 such investors, but the figure surged to 656,340 in 2021 and has remained in the 700,000 range since 2022. A financial industry official said, "In the past, parents often managed stocks through accounts opened in their minor children's names, but recently more minors have started investing on their own." The official added, "As stocks have become a core part of wealth building, they are also drawing attention as a tool for financial education."
Brokerage firms expect the rally to continue despite concerns over overheated valuations in the domestic market. Kim Jong-min, a researcher at Samsung Securities Co., Ltd., said, "Given the volatile international situation amid high oil prices and high interest rates, a temporary pause in the market early this month is possible, so adjusting positions and taking profits remain valid strategies. However, there is no reason to leave the market." He added, "Price corrections that do not damage fundamentals or value can be good investment opportunities."
Still, some warn that if rate hikes are carried out in the second half of the year, they could pose risks to artificial intelligence (AI) investment. Eun Taek Lee, a researcher at KB Securities Co., Ltd., said, "There is little basis to say that memory semiconductors have entered a completely new cycle with no downturn." He noted, "AI infrastructure requires large upfront investment and has a long payback period, so a high-interest-rate environment is a key factor that could weaken the investment case for AI."
jisseo@fnnews.com Seo Min-ji Reporter