Traders Pour Record Cash Into BlackRock Fund Buying South Korea

[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-12/traders-pour-record-cash-into-blackrock-fund-buying-south-korea](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-12/traders-pour-record-cash-into-blackrock-fund-buying-south-korea) A BlackRock Inc. fund packed with South Korean chipmakers pulled in its biggest inflow on record on Wednesday as investors doubled down on Asia’s semiconductor rally. The $13 billion [iShares MSCI South Korea ETF](https://archive.ph/o/dQOph/https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/EWY:US), known by its ticker EWY, absorbed a $281 million inflow, the most in the fund’s over 25-year history. The US-listed ETF’s top holdings are chip heavyweights [Samsung Electronics Co.](https://archive.ph/o/dQOph/https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/005930:KS) and [SK Hynix Inc](https://archive.ph/o/dQOph/https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/000660:KS)., which have pushed the country’s Kospi stock index up more than 30% year-to-date to an all-time high. EWY has taken in over $3 billion in the past three months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Shares of Samsung and SK Hynix are rallying this week following [comments](https://archive.ph/o/dQOph/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/terminal/TAASGBKIJH8R) from Micron CFO Mark Murphy around supply-demand tightness in the memory chip market. The gains come even as broader tech shares wobble on concerns about stretched artificial intelligence valuations, with investors rotating into memory makers seen as clearer earnings winners. Read more: [Memory Chip Squeeze Widens Gap Between Market Winners and Losers](https://archive.ph/o/dQOph/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-09/memory-chip-squeeze-wreaks-havoc-in-markets-with-more-to-come) “As angst around AI disruption impacts a multitude of sectors, the safe haven is obviously memory stocks, with Samsung and Hynix continuing to propel Korea higher,” said Dave Lutz, an equity sales trader and macro strategist at JonesTrading.