"No need for a surge—just try to look like you're trending upward"... Naver and Kakao retail investors say even FOMO is a luxury [World of Retail Investors]

© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.
The Samsung Electronics general strike issue was also effectively resolved on the 20th with a dramatic labor-management settlement, prompting semiconductor shareholders to cheer again. Han also modestly holds 10 shares of Samsung Electronics and four shares of SK hynix.
But the overall return on Han's account is not what you would expect from a Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shareholder. That is because most of the stocks in his portfolio are Naver and Kakao.Han, who bought into Naver and Kakao five years ago and has been unable to get out, says, "They say the companies posted record-high earnings, but if the stock won't rise like this, I don't even feel fear of missing out (FOMO)," and "I am not even asking for a stock that jumps by tens of percent like semiconductors. I just wish it would at least pretend to rise steadily in line with the market mood." he said. 85%, from the previous session, and climbed back above the 7,800 level.
© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.
The New York stock market also closed higher, led by U. S.
semiconductor shares, while U. S.
Treasury yields and international oil prices eased somewhat, adding to the positive momentum. As stock prices that had been falling steadily for days in the red suddenly turned upward and began to recover, retail investors cheered.
But for shareholders holding Naver and Kakao, like Han, apathy feels stronger than joy.2411 trillion won in the first quarter of this year, its stock is still moving sideways in the 200,000-won range, and Kakao has also failed to break out of the 40,000-won range.In Kakao's case, there are even concerns that the company could face its first-ever headquarters strike since its founding.
© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.
"Thinking about getting back to even." The Sunk Cost Fallacy behind self-imposed isolation The money spent on averaging down over the years, along with the weight of the time they have endured, can easily trap these investors in the Sunk Cost Fallacy.They may know in their heads that it would be wise to sell now and switch to another stock that is trending upward, but many long-term shareholders have already exhausted their psychological energy after years of being left behind.That is why more and more of them are becoming "ostriches" who delete their stock apps and turn away from reality rather than move into another stock and take on new risks.In fact, the mood in stock communities and stock discussion boards has changed as well.
Instead of anger toward management or posts predicting share prices, comments such as "Another peaceful day in the Naver and Kakao room" and "Won't it go up before we die?" keep appearing.
© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.
In a report released on the 20th, Hana Securities identified the second half of 2026 as a key turning point for both companies, saying they are expected to fully step up monetization of AI and new businesses related to digital assets.
It also maintained its "buy" rating on both companies and set a target price of 350,000 won for Naver and 75,000 won for Kakao Lee Jun-ho, a researcher at Hana Securities, analyzed that "earnings look solid thanks to stable growth in advertising and commerce, but it appears difficult to resolve the current de-rating in the short term with a business model centered only on domestic advertising and commerce.4%.7%.
Lee said, "It is positive that improvement in operating profit is clearly visible this year, but the main driver is better profitability at subsidiaries rather than the core business," adding that "until the point when profit contributions from the core business lead overall operating profit, securing traffic through AI agents will remain the key to the stock price.
© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.© News1 / Photo = News1 \r\n [Financial News] Office worker Han Jeong-hoon, 41, a pseudonym, finds himself caught in a strange mood every time he checks his stock account these days. The KOSPI has broken through the 8,000 mark for the first time in history, and in the process, leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been staging a soaring rally one after another in this bull market.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter