South Korean traders turned their Chuseok vacation into every week of aggressive risk-taking, funneling $1.24 billion into US tech and crypto-linked property whereas home markets have been closed between October 3 and 9.
Key Takeaways:
- South Korean traders poured $1.24 billion into US tech and crypto-linked property through the Chuseok vacation week.
- High buys included Tesla, Meta, and Bitcoin mining shares, with leveraged ETFs main the surge.
- The shopping for spree ended abruptly as US–China commerce tensions triggered a worldwide market pullback.
As an alternative of taking day without work through the nation’s Thanksgiving break, retail traders piled into leveraged ETFs and high-growth shares, in accordance with information from the Korea Securities Depository.
Korean Buyers Flock to Tesla, Meta, and Bitcoin Miner Shares
The most well-liked goal was the Direxion Every day Tesla Bull 2X ETF, a leveraged fund that amplifies Tesla’s inventory actions, with web purchases totaling $151 million.
Different high buys included $105 million in Iris Power, an Australian Bitcoin mining agency; $100 million in Meta Platforms, and $96 million in Tesla shares themselves.
One other leveraged crypto play, the T-REX 2X Lengthy BMNR Every day Goal ETF, which tracks Bitmine Immersion Applied sciences with double publicity, ranked fifth amongst overseas purchases at round $95 million.
The spree adopted a powerful rally in Seoul, the place the Kospi Index hit new highs earlier than the vacation amid optimism over US tech resilience and native stimulus plans.
With Korean exchanges closed, that bullish sentiment appeared to spill abroad as traders chased Wall Avenue’s momentum.
Breaking
South Korea warns merchants there seems to be a large carry commerce that’s about to explode markets. If carry commerce reverses, it should wipe out the nations complete monetary system with its traders being all in on leveraged tech ETFs.$spy $qqq $dxy $tlt…— Roger (@rdd147) October 13, 2025
However timing might have labored towards them. The surge in cross-border shopping for got here simply days earlier than international markets tumbled on renewed US–China commerce tensions, erasing a part of the earlier week’s positive factors.
Analysts say it stays to be seen whether or not Korean retail merchants, recognized for his or her threat urge for food and agility, will keep such aggressive publicity.
The Kospi reopened 1.7% decrease on Monday, slipping again under the three,600 degree and hinting that the Chuseok rally might have been short-lived.
South Korea Orders Crypto Exchanges to Halt Lending Providers
In August, South Korea’s monetary regulator moved to rein in dangerous lending practices within the digital asset sector, ordering native exchanges to droop all crypto lending providers till a correct regulatory framework is established.
The crackdown got here amid South Korea’s broader pivot towards regulated crypto adoption. Authorities are lifting restrictions on institutional buying and selling and making ready to approve the nation’s first spot crypto ETFs.
President Lee Jae Myung’s administration can also be engaged on a stablecoin framework pegged to the Korean gained, signaling a extra open method to digital finance regardless of the most recent curbs.
Extra just lately, Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency alternate Upbit, unveiled a brand new custody service aimed toward company and institutional shoppers, as regulatory inexperienced lights for digital asset investments spark rising demand for safe storage options.
The service shops all deposited digital property in chilly wallets, completely offline and insulated from internet-based threats, to protect holdings from cyberattacks and different exterior breaches.
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