Riding the memory chip rally, retail investors pour 590 billion won into PLUS HBM ETF

[Financial News] Amid continued expectations of an improvement in the memory semiconductor industry, individual investors are pouring money into ETFs that invest in the three major global memory makers and related equipment companies.
Hanwha Asset Management Co., Ltd. said on the 28th that individual investors’ net purchases of its PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor ETF since the start of the year totaled 593.3 billion won as of the 26th, ranking first among overseas semiconductor ETFs listed in South Korea.
The ETF also posted strong returns. Its return since the start of the year was 88.30%, ranking 10th among ETFs listed in South Korea, including leveraged and inverse ETFs. Returns over the past one, two and three years were 135.01%, 368.22% and 526.75%, respectively.
The PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor ETF holds the three major global memory companies—including Micron Technology, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and SK hynix—as core holdings. In its regular rebalancing last May, it added SanDisk, a leading NAND company, as well as memory testing and back-end process equipment companies such as Teradyne and Techwing.
As a result, it has built a portfolio that invests in everything from memory semiconductors, including HBM, DRAM and NAND, to related equipment companies.
Expectations for the memory market outlook also continue. With SK hynix and Samsung Electronics set to announce their third-quarter results on the 28th and 29th, respectively, the market is focused on whether rising memory prices and expanding demand for artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to improved earnings.
Geum Jeong-seop, head of the ETF Business Division at Hanwha Asset Management Co., Ltd., said, "We believe that the structural growth of memory semiconductors driven by the spread of AI has entered a full-fledged phase," adding, "We will be a partner in long-term investing through stable management and communication with investors." 

[email protected] Bae Han-geul Reporter