Big investors bet on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix as stock wealth holders with over 1 billion won in assets more than doubles

[Financial News] As the KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) recently staged an unprecedented bull run, surging from the 2,000 range to the 8,000 range in just one year, the number of so-called stock-rich investors holding more than 1 billion won in accounts at major domestic brokerages has jumped sharply.
According to The Chosun Ilbo on the 16th, data compiled from the country's four major brokerages — Mirae Asset, Korea Investment & Securities, Samsung Group, and NH Investment & Securities — showed that as of the end of May this year, the number of customers with account balances of at least 1 billion won, including deposits and the valuation of financial products, stood at 162,193. That was about 2.5 times the 65,132 recorded in May last year.
The total assets they manage also expanded about 2.5 times, from 270 trillion won in May last year to 676 trillion won in May this year. Since the figures reflect only the four brokerages, the actual number of high-net-worth investors across the securities industry is expected to be much larger.
A breakdown by asset bracket shows that stock-rich investors increased noticeably across every range.
First, the number of customers holding between 100 million won and 1 billion won in assets rose from 1,148,850 in May last year to 2,090,727 in May this year, or about 1.8 times, easily surpassing the 2 million mark.
The sharpest increase was seen among customers with assets of at least 1 billion won but less than 3 billion won, a group classified as high-net-worth investors. Their number jumped about 2.5 times, from just 52,003 in May last year to 139,028 in only one year.
Ultra-high-net-worth investors with more than 3 billion won in securities accounts also grew sharply over the same period, from 13,129 to 31,265, or about 2.4 times, indicating explosive asset growth amid the unprecedented stock market boom.
A securities industry official said, "As stock prices rose sharply, existing balances swelled, and in the bull market many customers moved large sums from safe assets such as bank deposits and savings accounts into brokerage accounts."

Wealthy investors appear to have built their assets mainly by aggressively buying large-cap blue-chip stocks. An analysis by NH Investment & Securities of the top net purchases by customers in each asset bracket from January this year through recently found that the three most-bought stocks across all investors with at least 100 million won in assets were Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Hyundai Motor Company. During that period, Samsung Electronics rose about 168 percent, SK hynix 240 percent, and Hyundai Motor Company 115 percent.
However, clear differences emerged in portfolio composition and investment strategy depending on asset size.
Investors with between 100 million won and 1 billion won in assets mainly favored leveraged products designed to deliver twice the return of the KOSDAQ 150 Index, or exchange-traded funds (ETF) tracking the KOSPI 200 Index. This suggests a strategy of directly betting on the broader upward momentum of the domestic stock market.
By contrast, investors with between 1 billion won and 3 billion won in assets were heavily buying the SK Hynix Single-Stock Leveraged ETF. Backed by strong confidence in the coming semiconductor supercycle and improving industry conditions, they were pursuing even more aggressive gains.
In particular, ultra-high-net-worth investors with more than 3 billion won adopted a strategy that combined stability with returns. They built baskets of major blue-chip stocks such as Samsung Electronics preferred shares and LG Electronics, creating a portfolio that aimed to capture both capital gains from the steep rise in share prices and solid dividend income.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter