"The No. 1 Market Cap Stock Is Swinging Like a Theme Stock"... Office Workers Can't Cut Losses or Buy More [The Joys and Sorrows of Salarymen]

[Financial News] "On Monday, I thought I might have to cut my losses. By Wednesday, I felt like I would miss out if I didn't buy more."
A salaried worker in his 30s, identified as A, said his thoughts about Samsung Electronics changed several times a day this week. When Samsung Electronics plunged more than 10% on the 13th, he was afraid to even open his trading account. When it rose more than 6% on the 15th, he started thinking about adding to his position. "I was supposed to be working at the office, but I kept checking end-of-day price forecasts during lunch," A said. "I thought of it as a national stock, but its moves felt like those of a theme stock."
As Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have swung between sharp losses and gains, fatigue is growing among office worker investors. One day they fall more than 10%; two days later, the semiconductor giants lift the index. Brokers say long-term growth will be driven by memory supply shortages and investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure. But for individual investors, the volatility appearing in their accounts right now can feel far more immediate.

According to the Korea Exchange on the 15th, the KOSPI (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) closed at 7,284.41, up 427.58 points from the previous session. The gain was 6.24%. Samsung Electronics closed at 279,500 won, up 16,500 won from the previous day, for a 6.27% rise. SK hynix finished at 2,082,000 won, up 169,000 won, an 8.83% increase.
Just two days earlier, the mood was the complete opposite. On the 13th, the KOSPI closed at 6,806.93, down 669.01 points from the previous session. The decline was 8.95%. Samsung Electronics ended at 254,500 won, down 10.70%, while SK hynix closed at 1,845,000 won, down 15.37%. On that day, a sell sidecar and a circuit breaker mechanism were triggered on the Korea Exchange Main Board.
Then on the 14th, the market bounced back. The KOSPI closed at 6,856.83, up 0.73%. Samsung Electronics ended at 263,000 won, up 3.34%, and SK hynix closed at 1,913,000 won, up 3.69%. The rebound was even stronger on the 15th.
A salaried worker in his 40s, identified as B, said, "On Monday, I thought Samsung Electronics could really fall that much. On Wednesday, I wondered if I should buy again." He added, "The market moves during working hours, so by the time I finish a meeting, the mood has already changed."


Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are among the most familiar stocks to domestic individual investors. They are large semiconductor names, and expectations are high for AI memory and high-bandwidth memory. But being a familiar company does not make the stock less volatile.
Samsung Electronics shares peaked at 362,500 won on the 18th of last month before falling to 254,500 won on the 13th. That was a 29.8% drop from the peak. Although the stock rebounded to 279,500 won on the 15th, it remained well below the high.
For office worker investors, this kind of movement is even more burdensome because they have limited time to respond during trading hours. Before work, they check U.S. semiconductor stocks. In the morning, they cannot watch the order book while working. By lunch, the morning's price swings are often already over.
A salaried worker in his 30s, identified as C, said, "I think Samsung Electronics and Hynix are fine in the long run, but when they fall more than 10% in a single day, that changes everything." He added, "At work, I have to act like nothing is wrong, but when I get an intraday plunge alert, it's hard to focus."

Some in the brokerage industry say the recent correction should not be seen as a deterioration in fundamentals. In a report on the 15th, Kim Dong-won, a researcher at KB Securities, said Samsung Electronics' share price had fallen about 30% from its recent peak, reflecting concerns over a slowdown in AI investment, but that the key drivers of long-term growth in the AI infrastructure industry and the memory supply shortage had not changed.
KB Securities maintained a "buy" rating on Samsung Electronics and set a target price of 600,000 won. Kim said the recent correction reflected weakened investor sentiment more than earnings or structural changes in the memory industry.
The firm also offered a supply-and-demand outlook for memory chips. KB Securities expects the memory semiconductor industry to enter a very tight supply phase next year. It said increased investment centered on High Bandwidth Memory could constrain production capacity for general-purpose DRAM. It also projected that HBM's share of global DRAM wafer production would rise from 15% this year to 34% next year.
It also pointed to U.S. AI data center investment as another variable. Kim said AI data center construction could accelerate if procedures for connecting to the U.S. power grid are simplified. His view is that AI infrastructure investment and memory demand will continue.


However, brokerage target prices do not automatically become buy signals for individual investors. A target price is an estimate based on earnings forecasts and valuation at a specific point in time. If market interest rates, exchange rates, global semiconductor stocks, or foreign investor flows change, the stock's path can change as well.
In a market where daily swings have widened, more investors are also looking at margin trading and leveraged products. Single-stock leveraged products tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are designed to move twice the stock's daily percentage change. If the underlying stock rebounds, returns can be amplified. But if it falls again, losses can grow just as quickly.
Office worker B said, "When I hear about a 600,000-won target price, it feels like I could buy now. But after a market like Monday's, I can't bring myself to jump in easily." He added, "I think I need to decide first whether I'm a long-term investor or someone just chasing rebounds."
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix remain central stocks in the domestic market. Their rebound on the 15th played a major role in lifting the index. But this week's moves showed that even large-cap investing can involve both losses and rebounds over a short period.
A said, "I've often heard that Samsung Electronics will rise someday, but whether I can hold on until that someday comes is ultimately a matter for my own account." He added, "Seeing it rise today is reassuring, but I don't know whether I can endure the next sharp drop."
hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter