Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we also provide a list of 30 top performing stocks in KOSPI in the past one week (in terms of price performance and trading value).</li>
<li>We also discuss the surging share price of Samsung Life Insurance which suggests a near-term regulation change that could require the company to partially dispose its stake in Samsung Electronics. </li>
<li>With Lee Jae-Myung becoming the new South Korean President, the probability of Samsung Life Insurance being forced to sell its stake in Samsung Electronics has risen much more.</li>
</ul>


In this insight, we also provide a list of 30 top performing stocks in KOSPI in the past one week (in terms of price performance and trading value).
We also discuss the surging share price of Samsung Life Insurance which suggests a near-term regulation change that could require the company to partially dispose its stake in Samsung Electronics. 
With Lee Jae-Myung becoming the new South Korean President, the probability of Samsung Life Insurance being forced to sell its stake in Samsung Electronics has risen much more.


Top 30 Best Performing Stocks in KOSPI in Past Week and Surging Price of Samsung Life Insurance

Equity Bottom-Up

Hyundai Engineering & Construction / Equity Bottom-Up

Hyundai Engineering & Construction (000720 KS)

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we provide the details of the 10 most recent companies in KOSPI 200 that have announced their Corporate Value Up plans (April and March 2025).</li>
<li>These 10 companies in KOSPI 200 that have announced their Corporate Value Up plans are down on average 1.3% versus KOSPI which is down 2% in the same period.</li>
<li>Three companies that have outperformed KOSPI (since their Corporate Value Up report announcement) include Hanmi Semiconductor, Hyundai Engineering &amp; Construction, and Samyang Foods. </li>
</ul>


In this insight, we provide the details of the 10 most recent companies in KOSPI 200 that have announced their Corporate Value Up plans (April and March 2025).
These 10 companies in KOSPI 200 that have announced their Corporate Value Up plans are down on average 1.3% versus KOSPI which is down 2% in the same period.
Three companies that have outperformed KOSPI (since their Corporate Value Up report announcement) include Hanmi Semiconductor, Hyundai Engineering &amp; Construction, and Samyang Foods. 


Korea Value Up (3 Winners and 7 Losers Among KOSPI 200 Companies) In March and April 2025

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.

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>June rebalance drops mid-May, goes live post-KOSPI 200 expiry. Back to 100 names—net outflow setup with more deletes than adds. ETFs rebalance into June 12 close.</li>
<li>KRX confirmed 10 special entries for June; results likely out in May with Value-Up rebalance. 12 protected names stay. Stocks over 10% weight, like Samsung and SK Hynix, remain.</li>
<li>Value-Up disclosure isn’t mandatory yet—rule starts June 2026. But compliant firms get a screening boost. Around 76 spots remain, filled via quant screen after excluding 24 protected names.</li>
</ul>


June rebalance drops mid-May, goes live post-KOSPI 200 expiry. Back to 100 names—net outflow setup with more deletes than adds. ETFs rebalance into June 12 close.
KRX confirmed 10 special entries for June; results likely out in May with Value-Up rebalance. 12 protected names stay. Stocks over 10% weight, like Samsung and SK Hynix, remain.
Value-Up disclosure isn’t mandatory yet—rule starts June 2026. But compliant firms get a screening boost. Around 76 spots remain, filled via quant screen after excluding 24 protected names.


June Value-Up Rebalance: Hype Fading, But Key Flags Remain

Korea Stock Exchange KOSPI 200 / Event-Driven

Korea Stock Exchange KOSPI 200 (KOSPI2 INDEX EQUITY)

<ul>
<li>Nine companies disclosed value-up plans, with four official and five pending disclosures. Initially, these announcements boosted stock prices, but long-term correlations were inconclusive. Yet, shareholder returns notably rose in H1.</li>
<li>NPS increased stakes in three of the nine recently announced value-up companies. They share traits in value-up trading (large caps &amp; low PBR), potentially guiding our strategy as NPS enters.</li>
<li>BlackRock's Hong Kong branch has recently engaged with six Korean asset management firms for potential entrustment of its Asian fund's Korean investment portion, focusing on the value-up policy.</li>
</ul>


Nine companies disclosed value-up plans, with four official and five pending disclosures. Initially, these announcements boosted stock prices, but long-term correlations were inconclusive. Yet, shareholder returns notably rose in H1.
NPS increased stakes in three of the nine recently announced value-up companies. They share traits in value-up trading (large caps &amp; low PBR), potentially guiding our strategy as NPS enters.
BlackRock's Hong Kong branch has recently engaged with six Korean asset management firms for potential entrustment of its Asian fund's Korean investment portion, focusing on the value-up policy.


Recently Observed Market Flow Movements Related to Korea's Value-Up Initiatives

<ul>
<li>Local institutional investors were disappointed Kiwoom omitted COE from their value-up disclosure. They seek clearer plans to address low-yield assets and reduce COE.</li>
<li>Rapidly rising interest in COE among local institutional investors is now shaping the screening criteria for the Korea Exchange's value-up index, possibly using COE as a primary factor for inclusion.</li>
<li>Competition likely centers on selecting and weighting stocks, including those beyond KOSPI 200. Key metric: COE linked with ROE.</li>
</ul>


Local institutional investors were disappointed Kiwoom omitted COE from their value-up disclosure. They seek clearer plans to address low-yield assets and reduce COE.
Rapidly rising interest in COE among local institutional investors is now shaping the screening criteria for the Korea Exchange's value-up index, possibly using COE as a primary factor for inclusion.
Competition likely centers on selecting and weighting stocks, including those beyond KOSPI 200. Key metric: COE linked with ROE.


Hot Topic Among Local Institutions in Recent Days: Utilizing COE in Value-Up Investing

South Korea

KIWOOM Securities Co., Ltd. is an online financial institution.  The Company offers equity and fixed income securities brokerage, dealing, and underwriting services.  Kiwoom Securities provides its services to individual investors.

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Kiwoom Securities (039490 KS)

Top 30 Best Performing Stocks in KOSPI in Past Week and Surging Price of Samsung Life Insurance

In this insight, we also provide a list of 30 top performing stocks in KOSPI in the past one week and the surging share price of Samsung Life...

Douglas Kim

Korea Value Up (3 Winners and 7 Losers Among KOSPI 200 Companies) In March and April 2025

In this insight, we provide the details of the 10 most recent companies in KOSPI 200 that have announced their Corporate Value Up plans (April and...

Douglas Kim

June Value-Up Rebalance: Hype Fading, But Key Flags Remain

This post gives a quick pulse check on the June Value-up Index rebalance—hype’s cooling off, but there are still a few key things to flag.

Sanghyun Park

Hot Topic Among Local Institutions in Recent Days: Utilizing COE in Value-Up Investing

This post delves into the recent buzz among local institutions, as they gear up to incorporate COE linked with ROE for value-up investing.

Sanghyun Park

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Top 30 Best Performing Stocks in KOSPI in Past Week and Surging Price of Samsung Life Insurance

In this insight, we also provide a list of 30 top performing stocks in KOSPI in the past one week and the surging share price of Samsung Life...

Douglas Kim

Korea Value Up (3 Winners and 7 Losers Among KOSPI 200 Companies) In March and April 2025

In this insight, we provide the details of the 10 most recent companies in KOSPI 200 that have announced their Corporate Value Up plans (April and...

Douglas Kim

June Value-Up Rebalance: Hype Fading, But Key Flags Remain

This post gives a quick pulse check on the June Value-up Index rebalance—hype’s cooling off, but there are still a few key things to flag.

Sanghyun Park

Recently Observed Market Flow Movements Related to Korea's Value-Up Initiatives

Value-up remains pivotal in the Korean market's second half for market flow. This post investigates the recently observed movements related to the...

Sanghyun Park

Hot Topic Among Local Institutions in Recent Days: Utilizing COE in Value-Up Investing

This post delves into the recent buzz among local institutions, as they gear up to incorporate COE linked with ROE for value-up investing.

Sanghyun Park