KOSPI Enters '9,000-Point Era': SK Hynix HBM4E Supply Sparks Rally, CSOP ETF Debuts on HKEX on Same Day

TradingKey - During the Asian trading session on June 18, South Korea's KOSPI Index broke above the key 9,000-point mark for the first time in history, rising over 1.5% intraday, with its year-to-date gains now exceeding 110%.

[Source: TradingView]

As of press time, SK Hynix was trading at 2.671 million won, up nearly 6% to hit another record high, while Samsung Electronics rose over 2% to 355,000 won. The two memory chip giants command a combined weight of over 50% in the index, contributing the vast majority of its year-to-date gains.

On the same day, the CSOP KOSPI 200 ETF (03121.HK) was officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the only ETF in Hong Kong to track the KOSPI 200 Index, as well as the only KOSPI 200 ETF listed outside of South Korea in the Asia-Pacific region. The ETF gained over 1.6% on its trading debut. The top five constituents of the KOSPI 200 Index are Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, SK Square, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Hyundai Motor.

This breakthrough was driven by multiple factors. SK Hynix announced on the day that it had supplied 12-layer HBM4E samples to major customers, featuring a maximum pin speed of up to 16 Gbps and an energy efficiency improvement of over 20%. Meanwhile, the US and Iran signed a ceasefire memorandum of understanding, and Brent crude fell below $80 per barrel, easing inflation concerns.

Previously, Morgan Stanley raised its KOSPI target to 9,000 points, while Goldman Sachs went even further, raising its target to 12,000 points. With the historic 9,000-point mark officially breached, the South Korean stock market has officially entered the "9,000-point era." However, investors must also remain alert to potential correction risks stemming from the index's heavy reliance on the semiconductor sector.