Analysis

TradingKey - According to South Korean media reports, Samsung has "decisively won" against the labor union, even though the planned strike has not yet commenced. On May 18, management and labor at Samsung Electronics initiated a second round of post-dispute mediation. Although the court approved part of the injunction application filed by Samsung, it ordered the union in South Korea to ensure that the strike does not impact the company’s production volume. Samsung’s stock price fell nearly 3.1% during Monday’s intraday session but reversed course to close nearly 4% higher. Does this mean Samsung has emerged victorious from the labor-management conflict, or has the dispute merely exposed deeper internal contradictions within the company?

TradingKey - During the Asian trading session on May 18, a court suddenly halted global memory chip giant Samsung Electronics' planned 18-day general strike just three days before its scheduled commencement.

Tradingkey - Asian equity markets were mostly lower on Monday, with technology stocks leading the decline. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated over the weekend, while rising safe-haven demand and surging oil prices weighed on market sentiment. Last Friday, U.S. Treasury yields climbed to historical highs, putting broad pressure on U.S. tech stocks; as of writing, U.S. stock index futures remain under pressure. Furthermore, the market is awaiting earnings from AI giant Nvidia (NVDA), scheduled for release this Wednesday (May 20). Investors are looking to the results to gauge whether the global stock market rally driven by artificial intelligence can be sustained.

TradingKey - Following the collapse of wage negotiations on May 13, Samsung Electronics and its largest labor union entered a new round of government-mediated talks today (May 18). Should these negotiations fail, the union is scheduled to launch an 18-day strike starting May 21.

TradingKey - During the early Asian trading session on May 18, the Nikkei 225 Index dropped nearly 1% in early trade as investor concerns over rising global interest rates intensified. Simultaneously, the 10-year Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yield surged to 2.8%, hitting a nearly 30-year high since 1997.

Tradingkey - During the early Asian trading session on May 18, the KOSPI Index fell more than 4% at one point, hitting a near one-week low of 7,142.71. As of press time, the index remained down 1.57% at 7,375.55. Notably, the index closed down 6.12% in the previous session at 7,493.18, with the two-day volatility reaching a range of up to 904 points. After KOSPI 200 futures dropped 5%, the Korea Exchange triggered a circuit breaker mechanism, suspending program trading for five minutes.

TradingKey - As of the close on May 15, shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have risen 125.6% and 179.42% year-to-date, respectively. Amid the memory chip supercycle, ETFs are becoming the primary tool for capturing this market rally. For Asian investors, what memory chip ETF options are currently available for deployment?

Tradingkey - Amid the meeting between the heads of state of China and the U.S., fresh conflict erupted in the Strait of Hormuz, putting broad pressure on Asia-Pacific equity markets, with the South Korean KOSPI Index plunging over 6%. According to the latest reports, India's Ministry of External Affairs stated on May 14 that an Indian merchant vessel was attacked off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi remarked that no military solution exists regarding Iran and that the Iranian people will never yield to any threats or pressure. In South Korea, the KOSPI briefly surged past 8,000 points in early trading to hit a record high, reaching an intra-day peak of 8,046.78 points. It subsequently fluctuated downward, at one point falling more than 7%. By the close, the index fell 6.12% to end at 7,493.18 points.

TradingKey - Recently, the South Korean stock market has repeatedly hit record highs. At the market open on May 15, the KOSPI Index briefly broke through the 8,000-point psychological level before staging a sharp intraday plunge, with losses exceeding 7% at one point. It closed down 6.12%, signaling collective profit-taking as investors locked in gains at key resistance levels.

Japan's Nikkei share average turned lower on Friday, as traders locked in profits on high-flying tech shares heading into the weekend.

Tradingkey - During the Asian morning session on May 15, the KOSPI opened lower but trended upward, briefly surpassing 8,000 points to hit a record high, reaching an intraday peak of 8,046.78 points. As of press time, the KOSPI had reversed to a 0.4% decline, trading at 7,949.71. Market analysis suggests three major tailwinds are supporting the upward trajectory of the South Korean stock market: tech giants continue to scale up capital expenditure, significant room remains for the expansion of AI application penetration, and geopolitical factors alongside data sovereignty are driving increased investment from non-US countries. Given the high weighting of AI-related industries among South Korean listed companies, these factors are expected to provide continued support for the market. Furthermore, corporate governance is poised to become a second structural support pillar by 2026, alongside earnings improvement. If companies continue to deliver on share buybacks and cancellations, dividend increases, asset efficiency optimization, and enhanced transparency in information disclosure, the market pricing of the "Korea Discount" is expected to narrow further, driving a valuation recovery for low P/B blue chips from a tactical phase into a sustained trend.

TradingKey - The South Korea Composite Index opened lower but trended higher. After opening down 0.37% at 7,951.75 points, it rallied sharply to surpass the 8,000-point mark for the first time in history. The Nikkei 225 Index opened up 0.36% at 62,878.71 points and subsequently accelerated its upward momentum, reclaiming the 63,000-point threshold.

TradingKey - Just two weeks after Samsung Electronics became the first to cross the $1 trillion market capitalization threshold earlier this month, SK Hynix, South Korea’s other memory chip giant, is nearing the same milestone. If this expectation is realized, South Korea will become the first country outside the United States to host two trillion-dollar companies, further underscoring its central position in the global AI supply chain.

Japan's Nikkei share average rose for a third day on Thursday to hit a record high, riding a wave of technology sector enthusiasm that overshadowed a slump in the broader market.

TradingKey - Asian stock markets generally trended higher in Thursday morning trading. The Nikkei 225 opened 0.14% higher, with intraday gains expanding to 200 points at one stage, while SoftBank Group tracked the advance with a gain of over 1%. South Korea’s KOSPI opened 0.4% higher and rallied quickly, with intraday gains reaching 1% and surpassing the 7,900-point mark. LG Electronics led the index constituents, rising more than 5%.

TradingKey - SKC, a materials unit of South Korea’s SK Group, recently announced plans to raise 1.17 trillion KRW through a rights issue. Approximately 589.6 billion KRW will be allocated to its U.S. subsidiary, Absolix, for glass substrate mass production plans over the next three years. This marks

Tradingkey - Markets continue to monitor details of the meeting between the U.S. and Chinese heads of state, with major Asia-Pacific equity markets hovering at high levels. U.S. inflation rose to 3.8% in April, a nearly three-year high, weighing on U.S. chip stocks. Samsung may face the longest strike in its history, which pressured Japanese and South Korean stocks in early trading before they fluctuated upward to close higher. U.S. President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. According to sources close to the matter, the summit will discuss Iran, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and rare earths. The business delegation for this visit spans technology, finance, aviation, and agriculture, including Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook, and executives from semiconductor firms such as Qualcomm (QCOM) and Micron (MU). The aviation sector includes Boeing (BA) CEO Kelly Ortberg, while the financial sector includes Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Blackstone Group (

TradingKey - As a core supplier in the global memory chip industry, Samsung Electronics is facing a labor dispute that could disrupt the global supply chain.

Samsung Electronics 005930.KS and its union failed to reach a pay deal on Wednesday, heightening the risk of a massive strike that threatens not only chip production, the company's standing, but also the health of the South Korean economy.

TradingKey - On May 12, Japanese chip stocks strengthened significantly, with Renesas Electronics rising 7.14%, Sumitomo Metal Mining gaining 5.61%, and SoftBank Group advancing 4.25%. The Nikkei 225 Index climbed more than 700 points at one point during the day.