Retail Investors Make Bold Bets Amid Market Adjustments, Focusing on Semiconductors

by Younsun Choi Posted : July 20, 2026, 07:32Updated : July 20, 2026, 07:32

◆아주경제 주요뉴스
▷조정장에 풀베팅 나선 개미…35.8조 쓸어담고 반도체 '집중'
- Following a record high in the KOSPI, retail investors have made substantial purchases totaling 35.8 trillion won since June 22, including 27 trillion won in individual stocks and 8.8 trillion won in domestic equity ETFs.
- Individual investments have been concentrated in large-cap semiconductor stocks, with SK Hynix seeing a net purchase of 2.33 trillion won and Samsung Electronics 1.32 trillion won. Over 3.65 trillion won has been invested in these two stocks alone, despite SK Hynix's share price dropping 36.9% during the same period.
- While aggressive bargain hunting has been observed, the balance of margin trading has decreased by 10.8%, from 38.53 trillion won to 34.37 trillion won, and investor deposits have fallen by 16.9%, from 132.19 trillion won to 109.87 trillion won.
- Analysts suggest that the decline in deposits alone does not indicate weakened retail demand, as actual deposits continue to show a net inflow, indicating that retail investors still have significant purchasing power.
- However, with retail buying concentrated in the KOSPI range of 7,000 to 8,500, there is a possibility that accumulated retail purchases during the adjustment phase could be released as sell orders during any market rebound.

◆주요 리포트
▷신흥국 주식형 펀드 순유입 확대 추세 [유안타증권]
- In the week of July 9-15, global equity funds saw a net inflow of $55.76 billion, continuing a strong trend of capital inflow. While the net inflow into U.S. funds slowed from 0.15% to 0.09%, emerging markets increased from 0.50% to 0.85%, marking four consecutive weeks of growth.
- Among emerging markets, the net inflow into South Korean equity funds rose from 1.83% to 3.32%, the highest among major emerging markets, while China's inflow increased from 1.40% to 2.51%, with both countries leading in capital inflows.
- Sector-wise, the net inflow into emerging market tech funds surged from 2.06% to 4.02%. Notably, Chinese tech stocks recorded a net inflow of 4.48%, the strongest in the past year, while South Korean and Taiwanese tech stocks showed solid inflows of 3.58% and 2.09%, respectively.
- Global emerging market (GEM) investment funds saw an inflow of $1.76 billion, marking a return to net inflow after 11 weeks. In China, a strong inflow of $16.42 billion was observed, attributed to expectations surrounding semiconductor localization and AI value chain reassessment following the listing plans of Chinese DRAM company CXMT.
- Despite discussions about peak semiconductor valuations and stock price adjustments in South Korea, foreign investors have been drawn to bargain purchases, as the perception of limited damage to fundamentals like operating profit prevails. However, concerns about the burden of pension funds' domestic stock allocation may limit further buying capacity, which could restrict additional market gains.

◆장 마감 후(16일) 주요공시
△에이피알, 보통주 1주당 2500원 중간배당 결정..935억 규모
△케이씨씨, 보통주 1주당 1000원 분기배당 결정...73억 규모
△동아쏘시오홀딩스, 보통주 1주당 700원 분기배당 결정...47억 규모
△신세계푸드, 보통주 83만주 자기주식 소각 결정...326억 규모
△와이제이링크, 보통주 1주당 50원 중간배당 결정...14억 규모
△알테오젠, 1주당 0.3주 무상증자 결정

◆펀드 동향(15일 기준, ETF 제외) 
▷국내 주식형: -72억원
▷해외 주식형: 64억원

◆오늘(20일) 주요일정
▷독일: 생산자물가지수(6월)
▷미국: 경기선행지수(6월)
▷은행: 중국 1년, 5년 LPR금리 결정
▷휴장: 일본



* This article has been translated by AI.