August 11th Closing Market Review: Samsung and SK hynix with Rising Shareholder Return Expectations... But Why KOSDAQ Should Be Included Too

Summary

The KOSPI closed up 0.73% and KOSDAQ up 0.39%, largely driven by Samsung Electronics' 4% surge on renewed shareholder return expectations and strong semiconductor export data. Experts discussed positive fundamentals for HBM and NAND, a regulatory tailwind for data center capex, and rotation into oversold KOSDAQ sectors like cosmetics and semiconductor equipment. Caution was advised against chasing hot themes, with a barbell strategy recommended: hold core Samsung/SK hynix, trade dips in recovering sectors.

• KOSPI rally led by Samsung Electronics amid rumors of imminent shareholder return policy announcement.
• Semiconductor export data revealed HBM prices up 36% and NAND nearly doubled, alleviating peak-cycle concerns.
• SEC's exemption of data center ABS from risk-retention rules seen as a powerful catalyst for AI infrastructure investment.
• KOSDAQ continued to show rotational strength in cosmetics, semiconductor equipment, and select small-caps.
• Doosan Enerbility viewed as oversold with a likely rebound toward 80,000 won; Cosmecca Korea displayed a volume breakout.
• Samsung SDS gained on AI GPU supply deals for the government and exclusive partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic.
• Hyundai E&C could benefit from a potential nuclear power contract linked to a data center project.
• Experts advise a diversified approach: hold major chip stocks, trade oversold sectors, and wait for pullbacks.