“Should I cut my losses and get out on Monday?” vs. “This is when you buy” ... Retail investors in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix torn over whether to cut their losses all weekend

[Financial News] With the KOSPI down nearly 11% in two days and barely holding the 5,000 mark, individual investors caught in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares are torn between cutting their losses and holding on over the weekend. Brokerages advised against rushing to sell in a panic, saying the semiconductor sector’s earnings strength had not been damaged.

According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 8th, the KOSPI closed at 5,059.69 on the 6th, down 324.11 points (6.02%) from the previous trading day. It was the lowest closing level in seven months, since March 31.
The KOSPI plunged 8.78% immediately after opening that day, falling as low as 4,911.28 and dropping below the 5,000 mark intraday for the first time in nine months, since February 6. A Level 1 circuit breaker was triggered at around 9:03 a.m., halting trading for 20 minutes. A sell-sidecar was also triggered after trading resumed.
Including the previous day’s plunge, the KOSPI fell 10.98% over the two days. It was 44.5% below its closing high of 9,114.55, recorded on June 22.
The decline was led by large-cap semiconductor stocks. Samsung Electronics closed down 6.35% at 188,700 won, while SK hynix ended down 10.44% at 1,132,000 won. Their cumulative losses over the two days were 13.44% and 18.91%, respectively, exceeding the index’s decline. Foreign investors were net sellers of more than 6 trillion won on the securities market over the two days.

Posts lamenting losses continued to appear on online stock forums over the weekend, while the markets were closed. On the 7th, an investor wrote in the Samsung Electronics community on Toss Securities: “They say the gates of hell open the moment the 200,000-won level (the ‘20th floor’) breaks. Should I cut my losses and get out as soon as trading starts on Monday?”
Another investor wrote, “It was still at 200,000 won as recently as Wednesday, but it eventually fell below that level,” adding, “You must have been anxious all this time, scrimping and unable to spend even the money you needed. It brings tears to my eyes.” A post in the SK hynix community read, “Please save me on Monday. I already live a good life, but I’ll be even better.”
Others saw the plunge as a buying opportunity. An SK hynix investor asked, “If not now, when should you buy?” and challenged, “If you’re sure it won’t go up, you can short it—so why don’t you?” Another post read, “I’m underwater in two accounts, with positions in the 200,000-won and 240,000-won ranges, but I’ll buy in installments whenever I have money.”

Brokerages attribute the latest plunge to supply and demand rather than earnings. The possibility of tighter data center regulations came into focus after the U.S. midterm elections, prompting money that had flowed into AI-related stocks to pull out. Hedge fund liquidations and reduced leverage also compounded the decline, analysts said.
In a report on the 6th, KIWOOM Securities Co., Ltd. advised investors to “wait and see rather than panic-sell” and proposed broadening investment targets to sectors such as banking, construction, transportation and biotech, which are relatively less affected by data center regulations.
KB Securities said, “The market is currently reacting more sensitively to bad news than to good news, but investor sentiment could change once the specific direction of policy becomes clear. A substantial portion of demand for 2027 has already been confirmed, and even if data center investment plans for 2028 change, other customers are highly likely to absorb the volume.”
[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter