South Koreans Poured $1.24B Into US Tech, Crypto During the Korean Thanksgiving

Core Insights - South Korean investors aggressively invested $1.24 billion into US tech and crypto-linked assets during the Chuseok holiday week, despite domestic markets being closed [1][8] - The investment trend included significant purchases in leveraged ETFs and high-growth stocks, indicating a strong risk appetite among retail investors [3][4] Investment Highlights - The most popular investment was the Direxion Daily Tesla Bull 2X ETF, with net purchases totaling $151 million [4] - Other notable investments included $105 million in Iris Energy, an Australian Bitcoin mining firm, $100 million in Meta Platforms, and $96 million in Tesla shares [4] - The T-REX 2X Long BMNR Daily Target ETF, which tracks Bitmine Immersion Technologies, saw around $95 million in purchases, ranking fifth among foreign investments [5] Market Context - The buying spree followed a strong rally in the Kospi Index, which reached new highs before the holiday, driven by optimism over US tech resilience and local stimulus plans [5] - However, the timing of the investments coincided with a global market pullback due to renewed US–China trade tensions, leading to a 1.7% drop in the Kospi Index upon reopening [6][8] - Analysts are uncertain whether Korean retail traders will maintain their aggressive investment strategies in light of the recent market volatility [6]