Business & Finance
Korea’s Surging Equity Volatility Draws Meme-Stock Comparisons
Key Points
Korea’s Surging Equity Volatility Draws Meme-Stock Comparisons The volatility in South Korea’s benchmark equity index has become so extreme that investors and analysts are likening the market’s surging intra-day swings to the meme-stock frenzy. While the comparison may at first sound exaggerated given the Kospi is supported by robust earnings from world-leading chipmakers, it’s not without merit. Escalating interest from retail investors has seen the equity benchmark close up or down by at...
Korea’s Surging Equity Volatility Draws Meme-Stock Comparisons
The volatility in South Korea’s benchmark equity index has become so extreme that investors and analysts are likening the market’s surging intra-day swings to the meme-stock frenzy.
While the comparison may at first sound exaggerated given the Kospi is supported by robust earnings from world-leading chipmakers, it’s not without merit. Escalating interest from retail investors has seen the equity benchmark close up or down by at least 5% on 20 occasions this year — including a 10% plunge on Tuesday — up from just two in 2025. That’s reminiscent of the fervor that surrounded shares such as GameStop Corp. and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. in 2021 when they became the target of a retail-driven frenzy.