Derivatives and Quantitative Strategist

Gaudenz Schneider

Equity Derivatives

Korea Stock Exchange KOSPI 200 / Equity Derivatives

<ul>
<li>
Context: The Bank of Korea will announce its rate decision on July 10, 2025. This Insight compares market and option-implied expectations with historical <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/korea-stock-exchange-kospi-200" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26021:1" rel="noopener">KOSPI 200</a> reactions.</li>
<li>
Highlights: While average market reactions to BoK moves are historically muted, options are pricing in elevated volatility. Two event-driven strategies are discussed.</li>
<li>
Why Read: This Insight offers actionable, volatility-focused options strategies grounded in empirical data and current pricing—timely for traders seeking to monetize elevated volatility ahead of central bank and geopolitical events.</li>
</ul>



Context: The Bank of Korea will announce its rate decision on July 10, 2025. This Insight compares market and option-implied expectations with historical KOSPI 200 reactions.

Highlights: While average market reactions to BoK moves are historically muted, options are pricing in elevated volatility. Two event-driven strategies are discussed.

Why Read: This Insight offers actionable, volatility-focused options strategies grounded in empirical data and current pricing—timely for traders seeking to monetize elevated volatility ahead of central bank and geopolitical events.


KOSPI 200: Event-Driven Strategies into the July 10 BoK Decision

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech, Aequitas Research

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Asia Pac IPO & Placement Research, China biotech

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Quantitative Analysis

<ul>
<li>We analyzed the changes in foreign holdings of KRX stocks as of Jul 4th. The aggregated holding was USD622.6bn.</li>
<li>We estimate that foreign flows to be outflows of USD704mln. We tabulates the league table for top changes by value for 1W/4W/1Y and top stocks held by foreign institutions.</li>
<li>We highlight changes of foreign holdings in Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem.</li>
</ul>


We analyzed the changes in foreign holdings of KRX stocks as of Jul 4th. The aggregated holding was USD622.6bn.
We estimate that foreign flows to be outflows of USD704mln. We tabulates the league table for top changes by value for 1W/4W/1Y and top stocks held by foreign institutions.
We highlight changes of foreign holdings in Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem.


KRX Foreign Holding Weekly (Jul 4th): Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we provide the top 10 stocks picks and key catalysts in the Korean stock market for the two weeks (4 to 18 July 2025).</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/korea-electric-power-corporation-kepco" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16:1" rel="noopener">Korea Electric Power (KEPCO) (015760 KS)</a> was the best performing stock among the top 100 stocks in KOSPI in the past two weeks. </li>
<li>The top 10 picks in this bi-weekly include LG Uplus, KCC, SK Hynix, Naver, Korea Kolmar, Korea Investment Holdings, Misto Holdings, Lotte Tour Development, LG Chem, and SK Inc.</li>
</ul>


In this insight, we provide the top 10 stocks picks and key catalysts in the Korean stock market for the two weeks (4 to 18 July 2025).

Korea Electric Power (KEPCO) (015760 KS) was the best performing stock among the top 100 stocks in KOSPI in the past two weeks. 
The top 10 picks in this bi-weekly include LG Uplus, KCC, SK Hynix, Naver, Korea Kolmar, Korea Investment Holdings, Misto Holdings, Lotte Tour Development, LG Chem, and SK Inc.


Top 10 Korean Stock Picks and Key Catalysts Bi-Weekly (4 to 18 July 2025)

Technology / Semiconductor / Internet Research

Nicolas Baratte

<ul>
<li>Samsung doesn’t provide guidance when it reports, but gives revenue an operating profit guidance ~2 weeks before reporting. But we have an officially non-official preview in Korean media. </li>
<li>2Q25 operating profit will be “weaker than expected”, declining “by more than 15% from the first quarter” to KRW mid-5 trillion range. Consensus expects +1% QoQ. </li>
<li>Some positive news to counter balance this large disappointment – smartphone, HBM3E – I am skeptical any of these can lift profits in 2H25, revisit early 2026.</li>
</ul>


Samsung doesn’t provide guidance when it reports, but gives revenue an operating profit guidance ~2 weeks before reporting. But we have an officially non-official preview in Korean media. 
2Q25 operating profit will be “weaker than expected”, declining “by more than 15% from the first quarter” to KRW mid-5 trillion range. Consensus expects +1% QoQ. 
Some positive news to counter balance this large disappointment – smartphone, HBM3E – I am skeptical any of these can lift profits in 2H25, revisit early 2026.


Samsung 2Q25 Official Leaks: Sharp Decline in Operating Profits, but It’s the Bottom. Really?

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>In this insight, we highlight the recent pricing gap divergences of the major Korean holdcos and opcos which could provide trading opportunities in 3Q 2025.</li>
<li>A whopping 87% (33 out of 38) holdcos/quasi holdcos outperformed their opco counterparts in the past three months, which is one of the best ever in the past two decades.</li>
<li>This appears to be one of the classic "buy the rumor, sell the news" trading opportunities. </li>
</ul>


In this insight, we highlight the recent pricing gap divergences of the major Korean holdcos and opcos which could provide trading opportunities in 3Q 2025.
A whopping 87% (33 out of 38) holdcos/quasi holdcos outperformed their opco counterparts in the past three months, which is one of the best ever in the past two decades.
This appears to be one of the classic "buy the rumor, sell the news" trading opportunities. 


Korean Holdcos Vs Opcos Gap Trading Opportunities in 3Q 2025

South Korea

SK Hynix Inc. provides products and services for the electronic components industry. The Company manufactures semiconductors, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory, and static random access memory (SRAM) chips.

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SK Hynix (000660 KS)

KOSPI 200: Event-Driven Strategies into the July 10 BoK Decision

Ahead of the Bank of Korea’s July 10 rate decision, option pricing implies larger-than-usual index moves. This Insight outlines two event-driven...

Gaudenz Schneider

KRX Foreign Holding Weekly (Jul 4th): Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem

We analyzed KRX foreign holding data for the past week and highlighted foreign holding changes in Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem.

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Top 10 Korean Stock Picks and Key Catalysts Bi-Weekly (4 to 18 July 2025)

The top 10 picks in this bi-weekly include LG Uplus, KCC, SK Hynix, Naver, Korea Kolmar, Korea Investment Holdings, Misto Holdings, Lotte Tour...

Douglas Kim

Samsung 2Q25 Official Leaks: Sharp Decline in Operating Profits, but It’s the Bottom. Really?

Samsung's 2Q25 operating profit to decline by over 15% from Q1, Consensus expects +1%. Some positive news but skepticism about profit lift in 2H25.

Nicolas Baratte

Korean Holdcos Vs Opcos Gap Trading Opportunities in 3Q 2025

A whopping 87% (33 out of 38) holdcos/quasi holdcos outperformed their opco counterparts in the past three months, which is one of the best ever in...

Douglas Kim

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

KOSPI 200: Event-Driven Strategies into the July 10 BoK Decision

Ahead of the Bank of Korea’s July 10 rate decision, option pricing implies larger-than-usual index moves. This Insight outlines two event-driven...

Gaudenz Schneider

KRX Foreign Holding Weekly (Jul 4th): Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem

We analyzed KRX foreign holding data for the past week and highlighted foreign holding changes in Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Naver, Hyundai Rotem.

Ke Yan, CFA, FRM

Top 10 Korean Stock Picks and Key Catalysts Bi-Weekly (4 to 18 July 2025)

The top 10 picks in this bi-weekly include LG Uplus, KCC, SK Hynix, Naver, Korea Kolmar, Korea Investment Holdings, Misto Holdings, Lotte Tour...

Douglas Kim

Samsung 2Q25 Official Leaks: Sharp Decline in Operating Profits, but It’s the Bottom. Really?

​Samsung's 2Q25 operating profit to decline by over 15% from Q1, Consensus expects +1%. Some positive news but skepticism about profit lift in 2H25.

Nicolas Baratte

Korean Holdcos Vs Opcos Gap Trading Opportunities in 3Q 2025

A whopping 87% (33 out of 38) holdcos/quasi holdcos outperformed their opco counterparts in the past three months, which is one of the best ever in...

Douglas Kim

Samsung's 2Q25 operating profit to decline by over 15% from Q1, Consensus expects +1%. Some positive news but skepticism about profit lift in 2H25.