![On the 24th (local time), GameStop stock price ended at $91.71, up 104% from the previous day. The stock price soared 90 minutes before the close of the market, showing high volatility. Pedestrians pass by in front of the Game Stop store in Union Square in Manhattan, New York, USA. [AP = 연합뉴스]](https://i0.wp.com/file.mk.co.kr/meet/neds/2021/02/image_readtop_2021_188566_16142420304554144.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
On the 24th (local time), GameStop stock price ended at $91.71, up 104% from the previous day. The stock price soared 90 minutes before the close of the market, showing high volatility. Pedestrians pass by in front of the Game Stop store in Union Square in Manhattan, New York, USA. [AP = 연합뉴스]Choi Hyun-woo (pseudonym, 35), who works at a large company, starts the day at 5:30 am. Thirty minutes before the New York Stock Market closes, it decides whether to buy the stock that had been’steamed’ and makes a decision at once. Manager Choi boldly devotes 6 hours the evening before to’judgment of 30 minutes every morning’. The evening routine starts at 6pm. He quickly takes a quick look at the New York stock market free market (after-hours trading), and then carefully examines the disclosures of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). If there is an item that stands out, it is essential to organize it with Excel. If there is time left, you can search for a stock of interest on YouTube, receive expert advice, and decide whether to invest. The evening routine ends at midnight, 30 minutes after the New York Stock Market opens. “Preparing the day before for the dawn is the basics of investment,” he said. “I am making a good profit by buying high-quality stocks such as Apple, Tesla, and Starbucks on an accrual basis.”
The so-called’seohak ants’ who directly trade overseas stocks are growing in power. Individual investors who made high returns from their bold investments last year are expanding their investment portfolio beyond domestic stocks to overseas.
Maeil Economic Daily analyzed the trend of Seohak ants by analyzing the current status of new overseas stock accounts with Mirae Asset Daewoo, the number one securities company in Korea, in the balance of overseas stocks. According to Mirae Asset Daewoo, by the 22nd of this month, overseas stock accounts increased by 26,461 compared to the previous month. The number of new overseas stock accounts for the first time in December last year exceeded 20,000, and has been increasing steadily.
In particular, in February this year, while the Korean stock market was sideways, the number of accounts increased by over 20,000 until the 22nd, attracting attention. Compared to the number of new overseas stock accounts in February last year, it is 2.67 times. The craze for Seohak ants is led by young people under their 40s. 79% of new overseas stock accounts this year were in their 40s or less. The number of young people who are clinging to overseas stock investment after leaving work like Choi is on the rise.
In particular, individual investors who are looking abroad this month rather than domestic are noticeable. This is evident when comparing the average daily trading value of domestic and foreign stocks. According to the Korea Securities Depository, Seohak ants traded US stocks an average of 2,695.7 billion won until the 23rd this month. This is a figure calculated by separating US stocks from the foreign currency securities deposit and settlement status compiled by the KSD. As a result, US stock trading increased 32.1% from the previous month this month.
On the other hand, during the same period, the trading value of domestic stocks decreased significantly. According to the Korea Exchange, the average daily trading value in the securities market has decreased by 28% until the 22nd this month. Last month, the average daily trading value in the securities market was 26,4778 billion won, which has plunged to 19,624 trillion won in just one month. The transaction value is the sum of the buy and sell amounts, and is an indicator of how much an investor is interested in the market.
This month, as KOSPI continues to sideways around 3000, it is interpreted that individuals are taking foreign stocks as an escape. Individuals account for about 80% of the average daily stock trading value.
As individual investors look to overseas stocks, overseas stock holdings are hitting record highs every day. According to the KSD, as of the 23rd, the balance of US stock deposits and settlements held by domestic investors amounted to 53,253.8 billion won. That’s an increase of 2.94 trillion won in a month. The investment portfolio of individuals who invest in US stocks is also attracting attention as it is mainly composed of high-quality stocks. According to the KSD, Tesla is the largest US stock held as of the 23rd. It holds a whopping 9.75 trillion won per dollar on the 25th. Following Tesla, Apple, Amazon, Nvidia and Microsoft are among the top US stock portfolios.
[김규식 기자 / 김인오 기자]
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]