The most heavily net-bought stocks on the 14th among high-return investors trading through Mirae Asset Securities (006800) were SK hynix (000660), TSE and OCI Holdings (010060), in that order. Semiconductor shares have tumbled recently on concerns that Chinese memory makers are closing the technology gap, but the top traders moved back into SK hynix while taking different directions on individual chip materials, parts and equipment stocks.
According to Mirae Asset Securities, the stock bought most heavily through 11 a.m. by "top traders" — the 1% of its brokerage customers with the highest investment returns over the past month — was SK hynix. The shares were trading at 1.473 million won at that time, up 2.08% from the previous session. The stock swung to the top of the net buying list in a single day after ranking fifth in net selling the previous session.
The buying is seen as bargain hunting after a steep decline. The KOSPI closed at 6,035.35 on the 13th, down 5.46%, while SK hynix fell 10.09% that day. Investor sentiment froze as China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) laid out plans to release server DRAM and concerns mounted over the cost of funding artificial intelligence investment. Overnight, however, technology shares recovered some ground as U.S. Treasury yields stabilized and Nvidia and AMD turned higher.
Some analysts say the recent slide has overstated any damage to the memory market itself. Samsung Securities (016360) said that whether CXMT's plan to launch server DRAM poses a near-term threat to the earnings of the three established memory makers will depend on mass-production yields, customer qualification and actual shipment volumes. With high-bandwidth memory (HBM) eating into production capacity and new plants ramping up more slowly than in the past, the brokerage said a slowdown in price gains may not translate directly into lower profits as it did in earlier cycles.
Among chip materials, parts and equipment names, the top traders split. TSE ranked second in net buying even as it fell 1.52% to 324,500 won, and TLB ranked fourth after dropping 5.85% to 47,450 won. Wonik IPS (240810) placed seventh in net buying despite a 4.83% decline. Buying appears to have spread toward suppliers with clearer earnings growth while investors wait for large-cap memory stocks to rebound.
On the net selling side, Jusung Engineering (036930), EO Technics, DI, Doosan Tesna and Korea Circuit lined up at the top. Jusung Engineering fell 3.82% and EO Technics 3.95%. With supplier shares having risen quickly in recent weeks, investors appear to be sorting through individual earnings and valuations. Hana Securities said the preference for back-end process stocks over front-end names has continued and that the broader investment case for chip suppliers remains intact.
Other top net-bought stocks on the day included OCI Holdings, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (009150) and Sam-A Aluminium. Top net-sold stocks included OKins Electronics (080580), Hana Micron (067310), Samwha Capacitor and Simmtech. In the previous session, STI, SK Square (402340) and APR (278470) ranked among the top net-bought stocks, while Samsung Electronics (005930), Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Doosan (000150) were among the most heavily net-sold.
Mirae Asset Securities compiles the trades of the top 1% of its customers by returns over the past month and publishes them on its mobile trading system on a real-time, previous-day and five-day basis. The data is provided for information only, does not reflect the brokerage's views and does not guarantee investments suited to individual investors or any particular return. Theme stocks can be subject to abnormal swings and warrant caution.
