South Korean Stock Market Surges Amidst Optical Communication and Construction Boom, FSC Policy Criticism Emerges as Key Issue

On August 5th, the Korea Exchange composite stock price index rose 23.9 points, or 3.76%, from the previous day, nearing the 6,600 mark. Most market participants concluded the day in a joyful mood, as the number of rising stocks significantly outnumbered declining ones. This is interpreted as a positive sign, partially recovering from the sluggish performance in July.

Today's overall market strength suggests improved investor sentiment, characterized by widespread gains not limited to specific sectors.

The KOSDAQ market also continued its strong performance from yesterday, rising 18.87 points, or 2.42%, from the previous day, approaching the 800 mark. It exhibited widespread strength, with 1,334 stocks rising and only 297 falling.

In particular, biotech-related stocks showed strength for two consecutive days, while robot and semiconductor-related stocks also performed strongly. Among these, optical module and optical communication-related stocks saw a noticeable surge.

The surge in optical communication-related stocks is closely linked to expectations of changes in U.S. policy toward China. Amid news that Novian is acquiring a U.S. factory to produce optical communication module semiconductors, the importance of optical communication and optical modules in the future AI data center speed race is expected to further increase.

At this juncture, news that the U.S. will take measures to ban imports of Chinese optical modules and optical communication-related components led to a significant rise in domestic optical-related stocks.

Korean interest rates, which had been soaring, saw a very significant drop today. In particular, the 10-year government bond yield plummeted 10.7 basis points, falling to an unprecedented 4.14% in an instant.

This is analyzed as reflecting expectations that the recent Middle East war issues are moving towards resolution. Such a drop in interest rates can be interpreted as a very strong bullish signal for the bond market.

Today, the market saw strong performance from power equipment, micro LED, quantum computing, and 5G communication-related stocks. This is interpreted as a result of a combination of growth expectations for specific industries and policy benefits.

In particular, if the import ban on Chinese optical communication companies becomes a reality, expectations are rising that Korean companies will emerge as the next beneficiaries, leading to significant strength in optical communication and electronic component-related stocks.

The construction sector recorded significant gains today, following yesterday's upward trend. This is largely due to the news that Honnan Semiconductor recently withdrew its veto on the construction of a new semiconductor factory and adopted a more forward-looking stance by accepting some demands. Consequently, there are observations that the groundbreaking for the Honnan semiconductor factory could proceed around the end of the year.

The construction of the semiconductor factory is expected to have a positive impact on construction companies and machinery equipment related firms. Furthermore, since most construction companies, excluding Hyundai Engineering & Construction, maintained relatively low valuations, this positive news highlighted their value, leading to a rapid rise in stock prices.

The Korean Won exchange rate showed strength again today, currently trading at 1,145 won and then moving between 1,125 and 1,126 won. This is an overall not-bad strong trend, maintaining a slight decrease against the U.S. dollar.

The Japanese Yen has stopped showing further strength at the 157 yen level and is trading at 904.17 won per 100 yen. Recently, the Korean Won has been evaluated as the strongest currency among major global currencies.

Yesterday, an error was acknowledged in the data analysis of the 'productive finance' policy, where a positive judgment was made based only on the amount. After closer examination, prompted by some viewers' feedback, it was revealed that the initial analysis was superficial, overlooking important facts.

Through this experience, we learned that policy documents announced by South Korean public officials should not be taken at face value but rather meticulously analyzed to accurately identify problems.

One of the key problems with the newly introduced 'Productive ISA' policy is the impossibility of extending existing general ISAs. This can be interpreted as a de facto mandatory measure to use only 'Productive ISAs' in the future.

This change is likely to make it difficult for investors to continue enjoying the benefits of their existing ISAs and will lead to a transition to the new type of ISA.

The Productive ISA also has significant restrictions on investment targets. This new ISA does not allow investment in overseas ETFs listed domestically, and even prohibits investment in deposit and savings products.

This can significantly limit investors' choices compared to the wide range of investment options provided by existing ISAs.

Uncertainty is also being raised regarding the products that the Productive ISA primarily encourages investment in. Products such as the 'National Growth Fund' and the newly introduced 'BDC (Business Development Company)' are unfamiliar to general investors, and information about their true nature is scarce.

Investors are questioning the situation of having to put money into these new products and feel burdened by having to invest in products they don't fully understand.

Strong criticism has been raised against the policy dubbed the 'stock price suppression prevention act' by the government. This bill applies a premium rate for inheritance and gift taxes based on stock price fluctuations if a company's market capitalization falls into the bottom 25%. For example, if a company with a market capitalization of KRW 1 trillion falls into the bottom 25% due to a stock price drop, a 30% premium rate for inheritance/gift tax would apply, making it possible to gift at KRW 130 billion.

Critics argue that this system could paradoxically act as a 'stock price suppression encouragement' bill, incentivizing companies to deliberately push down their stock prices to reduce inheritance and gift taxes. The criticism is, 'Who would want to raise their stock price?' It's a legal environment where halving the stock price could be advantageous. This raises concerns as it could function as a strong catalyst for 'stock price suppression' for companies.

Despite being an inheritance and gift tax system, the appearance of an 'Evaluation Review Committee' in the bill has been pointed out as having significant legal controversy. Inheritance and gift taxes fall under tax law, and the inclusion of such a committee, which does not exist in tax law, is seen as problematic.

This is a highly incomprehensible aspect for those with legal expertise and raises concerns about potential confusion in the legal system.

Criticizing the government's policies, a suggestion was made to ease regulations prohibiting public officials from accessing the stock market. Currently, public officials tend to avoid stock investments due to complex regulations, such as having to report all investments exceeding KRW 30 million per individual stock.

These regulations make it difficult for public officials to increase their understanding of the stock market and personally experience real economic conditions, which can ultimately lead to a disconnect between policy-making and market realities. An analysis also suggested that this phenomenon occurs because public officials rarely invest in stocks.

When Bloomberg reported critically that the South Korean stock market was unsuitable for investment, the Financial Services Commission refuted it. The FSC stated that despite its tremendous efforts to develop the Korean market, it feels as if these efforts are becoming meaningless when such criticisms are raised.

This demonstrates the South Korean financial authorities' willingness to actively respond to international criticism, while also revealing a gap between domestic and international market assessments.

It was mentioned that public officials from the Tax System Office hold a critical view that the so-called 'stock price suppression prevention act' is akin to 'madness' from the perspective of foreign investors, and even worse than regulations in communist China, making South Korea a country where one should not invest. These remarks suggest that significant concerns and dissatisfaction exist even within the government regarding the current policy direction.

In particular, it was pointed out that mechanisms to logically persuade foreign investors are disappearing. This can be interpreted as a serious warning that the South Korean stock market could lose international competitiveness and accelerate the outflow of foreign capital. Stock valuation methods and the inheritance/gift tax system may seem unreasonable and unpredictable to foreign investors, which could undermine the credibility of the South Korean stock market.

This criticism goes beyond merely technical issues of policy, raising fundamental questions about the attractiveness and fairness of the Korean capital market. The argument that the government emphasizes attracting foreign investment while actual policies move in a direction that hinders investment strongly suggests the need for future policy improvements.

Concerns are growing about the declining investment attractiveness of the South Korean stock market. It is pointed out that South Korea has many complex factors that make it difficult to judge solely based on stock prices relative to corporate profits. The reality of having to excessively consider factors such as major shareholder equity structure, management age, inheritance status, net asset value, and the resulting discount is cited as a problem.

This complexity and uncertainty are major reasons why smart and rational young investors are turning away from the Korean market and looking towards developed markets like the United States. While Korean stocks are considered 'cheap,' the perception that there's a reason for that cheap price is spreading, and voices are saying that patriotism alone cannot retain young investors.

News has emerged that negotiations for the Hormuz Strait between Iran and the Middle East, which had stimulated risk asset preference in the U.S. market, are imminent. An official announcement is likely this evening, and this agreement will allow two-way passage through the central channel under permanent agreement conditions between Oman and Iran, following a 60-day toll-free period.

Specifically, vessels entering the Persian Gulf will use the Iranian channel, while those leaving will use the Omani channel. Oman, Qatar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are known to have participated in this mediation.

Although there were predictions of a recent rise in the yen's value and an interest rate hike by Japan, analysis suggests that this situation has not materialized. The interest rate differential between the United States and Japan is widening, and Japan has not raised interest rates but instead eased fiscal policy, leading to a significant depreciation of its currency.

As a result, it is being said that the effectiveness of the 'yen carry trade,' where investors borrow low-interest yen to invest in high-yield assets, is gradually diminishing. The yen's weakness and the difference in interest rate policies are believed to be impacting the strategies of yen carry traders.

News has emerged that margin requirements for futures trading will be increased due to the continuously rising market volatility. This is interpreted as a measure to strengthen risk management in the derivatives market amidst increasing market instability.