Semiconductors on the march… retail investors all smiles as Samsung heads toward W150,000 and Hynix W770,000

Korea Economic Daily

Summary

Samsung Electronics was reported to be up 4.15% on the day after again setting an intraday record high of W157,000.
SK hynix was said to be trading at W768,000, up 3.78%, after briefly regaining the W770,000 level.
It was reported that chip-sector sentiment improved as the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surged 3.18% following the rollback of the U.S. “Greenland tariffs.”

Samsung Electronics renews intraday record high

*Samsung Electronics headquarters in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Photo=Beomjun Kim, The Korea Economic Daily*

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are rising in tandem. The move is seen as driven by a surge in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index on U.S. markets after the impact of scrapping the “Greenland tariffs.”

As of 9:11 a.m. on the 22nd, Samsung Electronics was trading at W155,700, up W6,200 (4.15%) from the previous day. SK hynix, which at one point regained the W770,000 level, has pared gains slightly and is up 3.78% at W768,000. Samsung climbed as high as W157,000 intraday, resetting its record high once again.

Investor sentiment appears to have improved as concerns over a potential trade dispute surrounding Greenland, a Danish territory, eased. On the 21st (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Following a very productive meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, we have laid out a framework for a future agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region,” adding, “We will not impose tariffs on eight European countries that had been set to take effect on February 1.”

On the news, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index jumped 3.18% from the previous session. Nvidia rose 2.95%, while ASML and Lam Research also posted gains in the 2% range.

Micron climbed another 6.61%, settling into a market capitalization in the US$400 billion range. AMD also surged 7.71% to push past the US$400 billion market-cap mark. Intel jumped 11.72%, as analysis pointed to a shortage of central processing units (CPUs).

Reporter Young-gi Jin, hankyung.com young71@hankyung.com