Loading...
[South Korean Stocks Plunge Fails to Deter Risk Appetite, Retail Investors Shift to High-Yield Structured Products] Odaily Planet Daily News – An unprecedented stock market crash is driving South Korean retail investors toward complex structured products. These risk-seeking investors continue to search for ways to boost returns. Equity-linked securities (ELS) with annualized coupon rates as high as 40% to 50% have regained favor among retail investors. In July, ELS sales surged to a three-year high, primarily featuring products linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Meanwhile, regulators are working to curb retail investors' fervent demand for leveraged single-stock exchange-traded funds. These products are believed to have amplified market volatility during last month's 22% plunge in the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index. This indicates that one of the largest market crashes in recent memory has done little to dampen retail investors' risk appetite, merely shifting the types of products they pursue. The recent market correction appears to have created an attractive entry point for ELS products. These products can provide coupon payments to investors as long as the linked stocks or indices remain within a predetermined range. However, if the market experiences a significant downturn, these products may also face substantial downside risks. (Jin10)