Even in the first quarter of this year, when volatility in Korea's stock market grew due to the U.S.-Iran war, many individual investors were found to have made profits. In particular, profit-taking was active among large-cap semiconductor stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
Shinhan Investment & Securities said on the 11th that an analysis of the investment performance of individual clients who sold domestic stocks in the first quarter showed that 80% recorded revenue. The average revenue amount for profitable clients was 8.48 million won. By contrast, investors who incurred losses recorded an average loss of 4.96 million won.
By month, January, when the market's upward trend was strong, saw the largest average revenue at 6.92 million won. It was followed by February at 5.94 million won and March at 3.98 million won. In March, when market volatility expanded due to the U.S.-Iran war, the average loss among losing clients was also the largest at 4.49 million won.
In the Korea Exchange main board, Samsung Electronics was tallied as the stock that gave the most investors both revenue and losses at the same time. Among Samsung Electronics sellers, investors who booked revenue earned an average of 7.14 million won, while losing investors recorded an average loss of 1.73 million won.
In addition to Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Doosan Enerbility, Hyundai Motor, and HANMI Semiconductor were among the stocks with many revenue-making investors. On the other hand, the stocks with many losing investors were Hyundai Motor, SK hynix, Doosan Enerbility, and Hanwha Solutions, in that order. Shinhan Investment & Securities analyzed that large-cap stocks that led this year's KOSPI gains—such as semiconductors, nuclear power, and defense—offered high revenue opportunities while also increasing the possibility of losses due to volatility.
In the KOSDAQ market, Woori Technology was found as the stock that gave the most investors revenue. It was followed by EcoPro, Hyulim Robot, Alteogen, and Jeju Semiconductor. By contrast, the stock with the most losing investors was Hyulim Robot. Woori Technology, EcoPro, Alteogen, and Hyundai Movex were also among the stocks with many losing investors. Given the characteristics of KOSDAQ theme stocks such as robots, biotech, and secondary batteries, performance gaps widened significantly depending on the timing of buying and selling.
By age group, revenue size among older investors stood out. Investors in their 70s and older had the highest average revenue at 18.73 million won, followed by those in their 60s at 10.11 million won and those in their 50s at 7.32 million won. Investors in their 20s had an average revenue of 1.43 million won. By gender, male investors' average revenue was 7.39 million won, higher than female investors' 3.86 million won.
A Shinhan Investment & Securities official said, "In an environment where the domestic stock market is hitting a record high, we confirmed a trend of individual investors systematically realizing revenue through domestic stocks."