Daily Briefing · 2026-10-28

This figure represents a 782.5% increase year-on-year, driven by a memory sector supercycle amid expanding AI semiconductor demand. SK Hynix also achieved its largest-ever results, with third-quarter operating profit surging 632.1% year-on-year to 83.3338 trillion won. SK Hynix decided on an additional 20 trillion to 30 trillion won worth of treasury stock purchases and cancellations to address its undervaluation. It was also explained that DRAM and HBM products have effectively sold out through 2029, securing stable revenue and profitability for the next three years. On the back of these strong semiconductor results, the KOSPI surged 374.10 points, or 6.63%, recovering the 6000 level to close at 6012.44. Buy-side circuit breakers (sidecars) were triggered multiple times intraday, reflecting an overheated market. HD Hyundai recorded a third-quarter operating profit of 2.9197 trillion won, up 140% year-on-year. LG Chem decided to sell off 2.5 trillion won worth of its stake in LG Energy Solution, lowering its stake to 76.6%, and to proceed with shareholder returns. Buoyed by the semiconductor boom, the won's value rose to its highest level in two years, raising the possibility that the exchange rate could fall into the 1200 won range. Concerns are also growing over deteriorating profitability for export companies. In the financial sector, a series of hacking incidents occurred at Mirae Asset Global Investments, Daishin Securities, and Bithumb, leading to personal data leaks. Financial authorities launched an emergency response, and about 4.4 million attempted access attempts from North Korean IPs targeting the domestic financial sector were detected. Overseas, Anthropic is officially pursuing a Nasdaq listing with a target valuation of $2 trillion. Meta's new share offering to fund AI facility investment attracted demand five times the issuance volume. Meanwhile, Tesla's operating profit plunged 56%, and the timeline for robotaxi profit contribution has been pushed back to the second half of next year. LG Innotek's third-quarter operating profit plunged 53.4% due to the impact of the sharp decline in the exchange rate. Apple began free replacements over a display defect in the iPhone Duo, raising concerns about reduced sales. With a fourth deferral of virtual asset taxation being discussed, trading volume on domestic exchanges rose 57% over the week. In the real estate market, growing dissatisfaction among market participants is being voiced over the government's loan regulations and real-residence requirement policy. A transaction at Apgujeong Shinhyundai Apartment, limited by redevelopment transfer restrictions, showed a price drop of more than 3.5 billion won from its peak price. Household debt surpassed 2,000 trillion won for the first time ever, and the average loan amount per person among those in their 40s in the greater Seoul area reached a record high of 140 million won.