[Edaily Reporter Kwon Oh Seok ] iM Securities released a report on the 28th stating, “The domestic stock market is expected to open higher, led by the semiconductor sector,” and added, “The key variables are SK hynix(000660)’s third-quarter earnings and shareholder return plans.”

Yang Hyun-kyung, an analyst at iM Securities, said, “Following the KOSPI’s rebound to 5,638.34 the previous day, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (+3.60%) and KOSPI 200 overnight futures (+2.00%) also showed an upward trend, creating a favorable investor sentiment ahead of the market open.”
Regarding SK hynix’s shareholder returns, she added, “The market is even discussing the possibility of an additional 50 trillion to 60 trillion won in returns on top of the existing 40 trillion won share buyback program. SamsungElectronics has also announced a cash dividend of approximately 30 trillion won for the third quarter as part of its 90 trillion to 110 trillion won shareholder return plan for this year. Attention is now focused on whether the return policies of both companies will alleviate concerns about a supply-demand gap following the recent conclusion of their share buyback programs,” he emphasized.
Given that SK hynix’s stock price rose sharply by more than 5% the previous day, he explained that not only earnings but also the outlook for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) demand, future investment plans, and the actual scale and method of shareholder returns to be announced will determine the potential for further gains.
Researcher Yang pointed out, “It is worth noting that the KOSPI briefly surpassed the 5,700 mark during trading yesterday but subsequently gave up those gains. As seen in Meta’s expanded fundraising efforts, the market continues to scrutinize funding sources for artificial intelligence (AI) investments, making it difficult to be optimistic about a sustained rebound based solely on expectations of shareholder returns.”
He added, “Whether the semiconductor sector, including SamsungElectronics, maintains its strength following SK hynix’s announcement and whether foreign buying continues will determine whether the index re-enters the 5,700 level.”