Yulia Slavina

Brad Setser: Korean chip stocks support market as won stays weak

Brad Setser: Korean chip stocks support market as won stays weak
Korean chip rally powers stocks

Korean chip companies are fueling gains in the domestic stock market, although significant volatility has emerged this month due to market positioning and Korea's vulnerability to energy shocks.

Brad Setser observes that, despite strong performance in chips and a positive current account, South Korea's currency, the won, remains extremely weak.

Setser's assessment of the won's persistent weakness, even amid robust chip exports and a solid current account position, resonates with his prior analysis of how Korea's 2025 current account surplus is increasingly overshadowed by accelerating equity outflows, exerting downward pressure on the currency. Comparable pressures in the broader region have also been highlighted through China’s surplus understatement following shifts in balance-of-payments reporting, further illustrating the complex interplay between capital flows and currency dynamics across Asia.

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