Korea / Special Situations, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Situations

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

Clepsydra Capital

Investigate special situations, pairs, and index rebalancing trades in Korea.

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>SK Inc plans to use SK Hynix as a dividend machine, boosting payouts to ₩3 trillion, and if it absorbs SK Square, it could pocket ₩600 billion—doubling SK Telecom's dividends.</li>
<li>SK Inc will likely use ₩5 trillion from the SK Telecom deal for a tender offer, boosting its stake in SK Square to 60-70% before merging to minimize dilution.</li>
<li>The SK Telecom deal and potential SK Square tender offer could be the main narrative driving SK Group stocks this year, making SK Square a key momentum play.</li>
</ul>


SK Inc plans to use SK Hynix as a dividend machine, boosting payouts to ₩3 trillion, and if it absorbs SK Square, it could pocket ₩600 billion—doubling SK Telecom's dividends.
SK Inc will likely use ₩5 trillion from the SK Telecom deal for a tender offer, boosting its stake in SK Square to 60-70% before merging to minimize dilution.
The SK Telecom deal and potential SK Square tender offer could be the main narrative driving SK Group stocks this year, making SK Square a key momentum play.


SK Stocks’ Main Narrative: SK Telecom Exit & SK Inc Eyeing SK Square

SAMSUNG KODEX KOREA Value-Up ETF / Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>They ditched the rulebook, used a market cap filter to pick the top 5, and watered down PBR and ROE, making them irrelevant. Market cap was the real deciding factor.</li>
<li>KRX hasn't confirmed it, but local sources say the special rebalancing was based on the top 50 KOSPI market caps as of the December 13th close.</li>
<li>The shift was driven by local pension funds, especially NPS, which pushed for more big-cap exposure to trigger Value-Up investments, signaling a potential ramp-up in their involvement.</li>
</ul>


They ditched the rulebook, used a market cap filter to pick the top 5, and watered down PBR and ROE, making them irrelevant. Market cap was the real deciding factor.
KRX hasn't confirmed it, but local sources say the special rebalancing was based on the top 50 KOSPI market caps as of the December 13th close.
The shift was driven by local pension funds, especially NPS, which pushed for more big-cap exposure to trigger Value-Up investments, signaling a potential ramp-up in their involvement.


Behind the Scenes of KRX Value-Up Index Special Rebalancing: What It Means for Flow Dynamics

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>S&amp;P500 is up 27.7% YTD, outperforming KOSPI which is down 6.9% YTD. Global fund flow continues to pour into top quality US stocks such as Palantir, Tesla, and NVIDIA.</li>
<li>The top 20 best performing stocks in KOSPI 200 are up on average 106.8% YTD. However, the remaining 180 stocks in KOSPI 200 are down on average 9.2% YTD. </li>
<li>There is no large Palantir-like company that deals with AI/data analytics in Korea. However, large cap IT services and telcos in Korea are increasingly expanding their AI/data analytics related business.</li>
</ul>


S&amp;P500 is up 27.7% YTD, outperforming KOSPI which is down 6.9% YTD. Global fund flow continues to pour into top quality US stocks such as Palantir, Tesla, and NVIDIA.
The top 20 best performing stocks in KOSPI 200 are up on average 106.8% YTD. However, the remaining 180 stocks in KOSPI 200 are down on average 9.2% YTD. 
There is no large Palantir-like company that deals with AI/data analytics in Korea. However, large cap IT services and telcos in Korea are increasingly expanding their AI/data analytics related business.


A Comparison of KOSPI 200 and S&P 500 Companies Performances in 2024

<ul>
<li>On 26 September, the Korea Exchange announced that it is considering a <em><strong>"special rebalancing"</strong></em> of the Korea Value-Up Index in December 2024.</li>
<li>In our view, the probability of this special rebalancing occurring by the end of this year is high at about 85%+.</li>
<li>If there is a special rebalancing, KB Financial, Hana Financial, Samsung Life Insurance, SK Telecom, and KT could be considered the top candidates for inclusion. </li>
</ul>


On 26 September, the Korea Exchange announced that it is considering a "special rebalancing" of the Korea Value-Up Index in December 2024.
In our view, the probability of this special rebalancing occurring by the end of this year is high at about 85%+.
If there is a special rebalancing, KB Financial, Hana Financial, Samsung Life Insurance, SK Telecom, and KT could be considered the top candidates for inclusion. 


A Special Rebalancing Of Korea Value-Up Index Is Likely in December 2024

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>KRX updated the Value-Up Index with five new names: KB Financial, Hana Financial, KT Corp, SK Telecom, and Hyundai Mobis, with Mobis replacing JB Financial, surprising the market.</li>
<li>This is the first rebalancing, packed into one day, so expect notable price action. Reverse moves could also follow Thursday as pre-positioned trades unwind, so monitor price action closely.</li>
<li>Even after Thursday's rebalancing, half of the funds, especially from the National Pension Service, will flow into high-yield stocks, likely driving significant price moves through early next year.</li>
</ul>


KRX updated the Value-Up Index with five new names: KB Financial, Hana Financial, KT Corp, SK Telecom, and Hyundai Mobis, with Mobis replacing JB Financial, surprising the market.
This is the first rebalancing, packed into one day, so expect notable price action. Reverse moves could also follow Thursday as pre-positioned trades unwind, so monitor price action closely.
Even after Thursday's rebalancing, half of the funds, especially from the National Pension Service, will flow into high-yield stocks, likely driving significant price moves through early next year.


KRX Value-Up Index Rebalance Results and Estimated Passive Impact

South Korea

SK Telecom Co., Ltd. is a Korean mobile and telecommunications operator. The Company provides cellular voice, wireless data, and wireless internet services. SK Telecom also offers fixed line services and platform services.

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SK Telecom (017670 KS)

SK Stocks’ Main Narrative: SK Telecom Exit & SK Inc Eyeing SK Square

This post summarizes the key market narrative around SK Group stocks: SK Telecom’s exit and SK Inc potentially eyeing the absorption of SK Square.

Sanghyun Park

Behind the Scenes of KRX Value-Up Index Special Rebalancing: What It Means for Flow Dynamics

This post provides the inside scoop on the KRX Value-Up Index special rebalancing and its implications for flow dynamics.

Sanghyun Park

A Comparison of KOSPI 200 and S&P 500 Companies Performances in 2024

There is no large Palantir-like company that deals with AI/data analytics in Korea. However, large cap IT services and telcos in Korea are...

Douglas Kim

A Special Rebalancing Of Korea Value-Up Index Is Likely in December 2024

KRX announced announced that a special rebalancing of 5 stocks to be included in the ‘Korea Value Up Index’ - KB Financial, Hana Financial, Hyundai...

Douglas Kim

KRX Value-Up Index Rebalance Results and Estimated Passive Impact

This post breaks down the latest special rebalancing results for the KRX Value-Up Index, along with the estimated passive impact.

Sanghyun Park

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