South Korea stocks surge 200% to $4.6T, 7th-largest globally
South Korea's stock market shot up 200% in the past year, now valued at $4.6 trillion, making it the seventh largest in the world.
Big wins from AI hype and chip giants like Samsung and SK Hynix pushed things higher, but all this action has also made the KOSPI index super volatile, with wild price swings of 5% or more a day.
Under-18 accounts near 10-fold, $300B plunge
Retail investors, especially younger folks, have been piling in fast, with account openings for those under 18 jumping near 10-fold in the first quarter versus a year earlier (thanks to Toss Securities).
But experts warn that this kind of frenzy can be risky; just this week, about $300 billion vanished from the market in hours before bouncing back.
So while the growth is exciting, there are real concerns about how long it can last.