[fn People] “The analyst’s role has changed... We need to explain things in ‘the language of the public’”

[Financial News] “It has become important to explain the market in a way that allows not only institutional investors but also retail investors to understand it.”
On the 6th, Kim Du-eon, head of the Channel Strategy Team at Hana Securities’ Research Center, explained why he had broadened his activities to include broadcasting and YouTube. Kim is a financial influencer (finfluencer) better known by the name “Vincent.” He has built a strong profile among retail investors by making complex investment information easy to understand.
Kim believed the role of analysts also needed to change as retail participation in the market grew after COVID-19 and new media such as YouTube spread. He saw it as important not to stop at analyzing data, but to present it in a way that investors could easily access and understand. That is also why he meets investors under the name “Vincent.”
“As the media environment has changed, analysts too have needed to change how they communicate and make their work more accessible,” Kim said. “Because accuracy is also important in finance, I think that going forward, people who explain well-vetted analysis in language the public can understand and steadily build trust with investors will have greater influence.”
With many investors paying close attention to “Vincent’s voice,” clarity is what he values most when putting forward a market outlook. Rather than offering vague forecasts that could confuse investors, he focuses on presenting a clear direction based on evidence.
“Rather than offering an analysis that says things could go either way, I try to reach a conclusion—such as ‘it will rise’ or ‘it will fall’—after taking all the variables into account,” Kim said.
He added, “Financial information in particular can affect people’s assets and lives, so we cannot afford to neglect the process of checking source data and figures. I try to clearly explain the basis and assumptions behind my judgments, thinking through what assumptions a forecast is based on and what changes would require me to revise my assessment.”
His experience across a range of fields—not only securities firms but also the National Assembly and startups—has helped set him apart among the “Yeouido securities crowd.” After working in the Macroeconomic Analysis Team at the National Assembly Budget Office from 2008 to 2011, Kim went on to work at Hana Securities and then KB Securities. In 2021, he left Yeouido for startups such as Du-mul-meori and Uprise, and last year returned to the Research Center at Hana Securities, his former workplace.
“I analyzed the macroeconomy and financial markets at the National Assembly Budget Office and securities firms, and at startups I oversaw a wealth-management business using robo-advisers and a family office focused on crypto,” Kim said. “I think my strength is explaining things in language investors can understand and use, drawing on my experience in analysis that connects the macroeconomy and industries as well as direct communication with clients.”
Corporate earnings are the main focus in his stock-market outlook. External factors can cause share prices to fluctuate, but ultimately, stock prices follow corporate earnings, he explained.
Kim said he sees the current disconnect in stock prices as resulting from noise such as concerns about a slowdown in AI investment and interest-rate pressures. “If domestic companies’ earnings continue to grow and they receive valuations commensurate with those earnings, reaching 10,000 on the KOSPI is entirely possible,” he forecast.
He went on to advise, “It’s important to choose companies that turn changes of the times into profits and develop the habit of steadily building up holdings with money you can afford to invest. Since domestic companies are making profits amid the major transformation represented by AI, I hope investors will also establish their own criteria and investment habits and participate in that growth.”
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