"I Turned Off the App Because I Thought I’d Sell if I Kept Looking" ... Retail Investors Turn on Airplane Mode Amid Wild Swings [World of Retail Investors]

/Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch.
" South Korea’s stock market is swinging wildly. A roller-coaster pattern of sharp drops, sudden rallies, and then another plunge has continued all week, rattling retail investors."I went in thinking I might try some short-term trading, and almost got badly trapped," "I guess I should just keep my hands tied this week," and "At least it’s a relief I don’t have any cash to buy the dip" are some of the comments circulating. As office worker A, 41, said, he set his smartphone to airplane mode out of fear of being swept up by the volatility.In stock communities and discussion boards, some are saying they are avoiding the market altogether. From circuit breakers to sidecars, the domestic market is on a daily roller coaster This week, South Korea’s stock market has been on a roller coaster every day.
/Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch./Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch.
The shock from U. S.
semiconductor stocks on Black Monday also deepened the groans of retail investors. Then, just one day later on the 9th, the mood changed sharply.
52 points in a single day to reclaim the 8,000 mark. But the next day, on the 10th, a sell sidecar was triggered again, and the KOSPI ended trading back in the 7,700 range.
/Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch./Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch.
The KOSDAQ also fell more than 3% at the open before reversing course, and around 1:58 p. m.
a buy sidecar was triggered, underscoring the mixed trading session. The ostrich effect: cognitive avoidance driven by fear With the domestic market stuck in a harsh cycle of repeated downside pressure instead of the expected rally in leading stocks, some retail investors have followed A’s example and deliberately cut themselves off from information in order to endure the turmoil.Instead of checking stock prices, they are sharing half-joking, half-serious coping methods such as escaping into mobile games or casual games that do not require data. In behavioral economics, this is called "the ostrich effect" .It is the instinct to reduce psychological anxiety by avoiding threatening information. The term comes from the myth that ostriches bury their heads in the ground when they sense danger.What is interesting is that this avoidance is not always harmful. Nobel Prize-winning economist Richard Thaler explained this psychology through the concept of "Myopic Loss Aversion (MLA)" .He argued that the more often investors check their portfolios, the more sensitive they become to losses, making them more likely to make irrational selling decisions. .
This is the result of two cognitive biases working together: loss aversion, which makes people far more sensitive to losses than gains, and myopic thinking, which focuses on immediate changes rather than long-term perspective. In fact, the more often retail investors check their accounts each day, the more exposed they are to prices that swing like a roller coaster all day long.That is why even small moves can shake emotions and lead to impulsive trades and bigger losses."Buy More When It’s Cheap" — Brokerage firms raise target prices even in a falling market Despite the wild swings, securities firms remain upbeat.Some say the market is not suffering a fundamental breakdown, but merely going through a short-term correction, and that investors should use the decline as a buying opportunity.In fact, brokerage analysts have been raising target prices for leading stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix one after another, saying there is still room for further gains.
As memory chip prices continue to rise and the strong won adds another tailwind, the brokerage view is that these stocks will post even stronger earnings than expected this year.
/Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch./Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch.
On the 11th, Noh Geun-chang, an analyst at HYUNDAI MOTOR SECURITIES, raised Samsung Electronics’ target price to 440,000 won and said, "Demand for memory semiconductors is likely to keep growing as Agentic AI spreads, but supply shortages will continue until the first half of 2028 because new facilities take longer to build.
" Still, as extreme volatility continues with repeated surges and plunges, investors’ anxiety is growing by the day.
A major concern is that foreign investors and institutions have been selling heavily, while individual investors alone have been absorbing the supply with net purchases worth trillions of won.
I don’t want to become someone who keeps saying, "I should have bought, I should have sold, I should have held.
/Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch./Photo=Newsis News Agency [Financial News]  "I kept looking at it and thought I might panic-sell out of fear. I even left my phone on airplane mode during lunch.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter