Why Korean stocks will surge in 2026: 'The government decided it' / 'Money is rushing into this stock' I will invest here | Director Jeon In-gu, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute

2026년 한국 증시 급등장 나오는 이유 "정부가 결정했다" / '돈이 몰려드는 이 주식' 저는 여기에 투자 할 겁니다ㅣ전인구경제연구소 전인구 소장
Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 02, 2026 at 08:00  |  22:37  |  815 Money Talk (815머니톡)
Speakers
Jeon In-gu — Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute

Summary

Jeon In-gu, Director of the Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute, discusses his 2026 outlook, focusing on AI data-center electricity demand and its spillovers. He sees opportunities in natural gas, crude oil, oil refiners, uranium, US renewable power operators, low-power AI chips, and gold/silver. He also warns that US liquidity and AI leadership may weaken, while Korean stocks have a policy-driven cushion and could be preferred in a correction.

  • AI data centers are driving a major US electricity supply gap.
  • Natural gas is seen as the preferred reliable power source, supporting gas demand.
  • Oil refiners and crude oil may benefit from supply shifts and positioning.
  • Uranium and selected uranium producers are favored on a long-term supply deficit.
  • Low-power AI chips and Google's integrated AI stack are key chip themes.
  • Gold and silver are hedges against expected liquidity expansion and stagflation risk.
  • US equities face liquidity and AI leadership risks.
  • Korean equities and policy-supported value segments are preferred if markets correct.
Ideas
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 2:43
Watch AI profit-taking if Christmas season falls
The Christmas-to-early-January seasonal window is when investors finalize annual returns. If the US Christmas season closes lower, it would signal that Wall Street has a strong desire to take profits in AI-related stocks after their large gains, similar to prior bubble periods, making this a risk setup to monitor.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 3:27
Power equipment benefits from AI power shortage
AI data centers are creating electricity shortages that require more power plants and grid equipment. Power equipment stocks can benefit from sector rotation as power demand rises, although the speaker notes they have already risen sharply and other undervalued energy areas may also benefit.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 3:51
Oil refiners are undervalued on gas shift
Within the electricity-shortage theme, oil refiners are an undervalued and overlooked sector. Rising natural gas demand could prompt US shale producers to shift their production mix toward gas, reducing oil output and supporting crude prices, which helps refiners.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 4:01
AI data centers lift natural gas demand
AI data centers need reliable, cheap power, and they predominantly use natural gas because inland US PNG costs about $2 versus LNG at $8 and is more reliable than solar or wind backed by ESS. New data centers coming online should increase natural gas demand, benefiting natural gas and related producers.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 5:50
Crude oil bottoming and likely rebounds
Crude oil is bottoming: US shale new-breakeven costs are around $47 while oil is in the mid-$50s, discouraging new supply, and EIA forecasts have been wrong repeatedly. Rising natural gas demand could reduce oil production as the shale mix shifts. Additionally, money-supply expansion and possible stagflation support commodities, hedge funds have cleared oil shorts, and oil-related companies have shifted to net long futures positions.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 8:36
Higher electricity prices lift US renewable operators
US electricity prices could double over five years due to data-center demand. Private solar and onshore wind power producers that sell electricity to households have no fuel cost, so projects underwritten at 10% margins could see margins expand dramatically as power prices rise; higher oil prices would make solar even more attractive.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 11:13
Uranium supply deficit lifts prices
Nuclear power demand is rising, but uranium supply is constrained because no new mines were developed for 30 years. Production is expected to fall while demand increases, creating a large deficit and likely pushing uranium prices higher.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 12:01
Kazakhstan uranium producer is key supply play
Australia and Canada uranium mines are largely developed, leaving Kazakhstan, which holds 40% of global uranium. The country's top uranium company by market cap is listed in the UK and should be invested in as global uranium demand rises.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 12:21
US uranium miners with Russia-Kazakhstan exposure
The US is pivoting to nuclear power and will need to secure uranium. Because Trump may have to engage Russia for uranium, US uranium companies that previously developed mines in Kazakhstan and Russia are positioned to benefit and should be watched.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 12:53
Low-power AI chips see replacement demand
AI data centers raise local electricity bills and trigger resident opposition. Replacing high-power GPUs with low-power semiconductors is a cost-effective way to reduce electricity use, so demand for low-power chips such as Google's TPU should grow.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 13:37
Google's integrated low-power AI stack wins
Google is a vertically integrated AI player: it produces low-power TPU chips to compete with Nvidia GPUs, runs a top-three cloud business, owns Gemini, and funds AI spending from its own cash flow. As data-center power constraints increase, demand for low-power TPUs may rise, and its cost advantage could help it take customers from loss-making OpenAI.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 13:44
Apple's low-power chip entry is optionality
Apple has strong low-power technology and is not currently a focus in AI, but if it enters the semiconductor chip market, its low-power expertise could create upside optionality.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 16:29
Nvidia GPU sales growth may slow
Nvidia's GPUs are high-performance but not low-power, and the AI business structure may shift to survival of the fittest. If loss-making AI software firms consolidate, cloud and GPU demand growth could slow more than expected, creating risk for Nvidia.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 17:56
Gold and silver hedge money printing
Money supply and commodity prices are highly correlated. With the Fed chair changing to a liquidity-friendly candidate, rate cuts and more money printing are likely, increasing inflation or stagflation risk. Gold and silver can survive stagflation, are not bad in inflation, and gold is a safe asset amid uncertainty.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 20:18
Prefer Korean stocks over US stocks
The US three-year rally relied on AI and liquidity, but both are deteriorating: yen-carry unwind drains liquidity, Fed reserves and RRP are low, AI stocks are expensive, and there are no obvious new leaders if AI falters. Korea is also exposed to AI, but the government is deploying policies to lift the KOSPI, so if markets correct next year, Korean stocks are preferable to US stocks.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 20:18
Prefer Korean stocks over US stocks
The US three-year rally relied on AI and liquidity, but both are deteriorating: yen-carry unwind drains liquidity, Fed reserves and RRP are low, AI stocks are expensive, and there are no obvious new leaders if AI falters. Korea is also exposed to AI, but the government is deploying policies to lift the KOSPI, so if markets correct next year, Korean stocks are preferable to US stocks.
Jeon In-gu Director, Jeon In-gu Economic Research Institute 22:12
Korean value stocks benefit from government policy
The Korean government is releasing various policies to lift the KOSPI, including measures supporting holding companies, dividends, and low price-to-book stocks. These policy-driven value segments can help lift the index even without AI leadership.
Up Next

This 815 Money Talk (815머니톡) video, published January 02, 2026, features Jeon In-gu discussing AI-SECTOR, Power equipment stocks, CRAK, UNG, FCG, WTI, US solar power plant operators, US onshore wind power operators, URA, KAP, US uranium miners with Kazakhstan/Russia exposure, Low-power AI semiconductors, GOOG, AAPL, NVDA, GLD, SILVER, EWY, SPY, Korean holding companies, Korean dividend stocks, Korean low P/B stocks. 17 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Jeon In-gu  · Tickers: AI-SECTOR, Power equipment stocks, CRAK, UNG, FCG, WTI, US solar power plant operators, US onshore wind power operators, URA, KAP, US uranium miners with Kazakhstan/Russia exposure, Low-power AI semiconductors, GOOG, AAPL, NVDA, GLD, SILVER, EWY, SPY, Korean holding companies, Korean dividend stocks, Korean low P/B stocks