Ideas
KOSPI may reach 7,500-7,800
Foreigners have turned to net buying in KOSPI futures and spot, and US macro data supports Fed policy easing. He expects the August monthly candle to become bullish and sees KOSPI closing between 7,500 and 7,800 by the end of August.
Korean semiconductor materials sector leads
Korean semiconductor materials, components and equipment names led the weekly top 20 as money rotated from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix leveraged trades into KOSDAQ and semiconductor supply-chain stocks, supported by foreign and institutional buying.
Korean cosmetics sector looks toppy
Most cosmetic stocks corrected with upper wick charts, leaving only large profitable leaders, and the sector historically peaks in July-August, so caution is warranted.
TCK dominates high-end NAND SiC rings
TCK supplies SiC rings essential for NAND etch and deposition, has 70-75% market share, near-monopoly in 300-layer plus high-end NAND, strong replacement demand, very low inventory, and 2026-2027 revenue and earnings growth supports 25-60% upside.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics is recovery leader
After the market crash, Samsung Electro-Mechanics recovered fastest among former leaders as AI server MLCC and high-performance substrate demand expectations returned, and Morgan Stanley switched its top pick from Samsung Electronics to Samsung Electro-Mechanics.
Samsung SDI beats LG Energy Solution
Samsung SDI is preferred over LG Energy Solution because its chart broke moving averages without losing the 5-day line, it has prismatic battery strength, no LGES-style overhang, and can monetize its Samsung Display stake for future investment.
AI data center storage demand strong
Memory and storage names rallied because Sandisk showed strong AI data center demand and expanded its buyback, while Micron, Seagate and Western Digital gained on expectations that memory prices and data center storage demand will stay strong longer.
Geopolitical oil risk lifts energy stocks
US-Iran tensions pushed Brent up about 6% for the week, and Strait of Hormuz supply disruption fears lifted energy stocks such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil.
AI infrastructure investment cycle broadens
AI strength is not just a semiconductor story; the market is treating AI as a full infrastructure growth cycle spanning power, servers, cloud, optical, networking and semiconductors, with investment spreading across the value chain.
Super Micro is buyable but risky
Super Micro Computer's gross margin recovered from 6.3% to 17%, and it issued aggressive FY27 revenue guidance of $65-72B on strong AI server demand, but accounting credibility remains a key risk to monitor.
CoreWeave must prove efficient growth
CoreWeave has explosive revenue and $104.2B backlog with contracted power, but depreciation is growing faster than revenue and active power is only 1.5GW. The stock is a watch item until execution efficiency and operating margin improve.
Neocloud rental model is being validated
The neocloud rental model is being validated as enterprise AI shifts toward sovereign/open rental compute. Nebius has already shown profitability and has a stronger chart trend, while CoreWeave is the largest neocloud and could follow.
Japanese yen should keep strengthening
Bessent's memo indicates the US will not allow yen weakness beyond 160-164 because it could destabilize Japan and US rates, and BOJ may hike toward 1.5%. This supports yen appreciation against the dollar.
Korean won should continue appreciating
Korea's rate gap with the US narrowed to 1%, and Bessent's memo signals the US will not tolerate excessive Asian currency weakness. He expects USD/KRW to break 1,400 and eventually move toward 1,350 as the won appreciates.
Won strength favors domestic consumer stocks
Won strength benefits undervalued domestic consumer and value stocks, especially food and beverage names, while exporters become relatively neutral.
This Chesley Investment Advisory (체슬리투자자문) video, published August 15, 2026,
features Beogeon, Topend, Im Gamdok, So Hyeon-cheol, Clare Pleydell-Bouverie
discussing EWY, Korean semiconductor materials/equipment, KORU, TECK, 009150.KS, 006400.KS, SNDK, MU, STX, WDC, CVX, XOM, AI infrastructure supply chain, SMCI, CoreWeave, NEBIUS, FXY, USD/KRW, Korean domestic consumer/food stocks.
15 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers:
Beogeon,
Topend,
Im Gamdok,
So Hyeon-cheol,
Clare Pleydell-Bouverie
· Tickers:
EWY,
Korean semiconductor materials/equipment,
KORU,
TECK,
009150.KS,
006400.KS,
SNDK,
MU,
STX,
WDC,
CVX,
XOM,
AI infrastructure supply chain,
SMCI,
CoreWeave,
NEBIUS,
FXY,
USD/KRW,
Korean domestic consumer/food stocks
