{"text":[[{"start":10.84,"text":"South Korean retail investors must now complete a week-long course before they can start trading in single-stock funds, as regulators tighten restrictions on products blamed for exacerbating wild swings in one of the world’s most volatile stock markets."}],[{"start":25.92,"text":"The move follows an extraordinary boom and subsequent correction in South Korean equities. The Kospi rose 76 per cent in 2025 and then doubled again this year before peaking at more than 9,300 points in June."}],[{"start":41.28,"text":"Retail investors poured a net Won100tn ($70bn) into the market earlier this year amid an AI-driven rally in chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics."}],[{"start":53.7,"text":"The rise also coincided with government-led efforts to boost the stock market. Single-stock leveraged exchange traded funds in the two companies were introduced in late May, allowing investors to magnify their bets on the Korean semiconductor champions."}],[{"start":69.28,"text":"Then at a press conference on June 8, President Lee Jae Myung said the market was still “somewhat undervalued” despite having hit about 8,000 points."}],[{"start":78.64,"text":"The rally then unravelled in July, with the Kospi falling 22 per cent for its worst month since the global financial crisis."}],[{"start":86.76,"text":"Following an emergency meeting on July 29, South Korea’s finance ministry announced measures to limit access to leveraged ETFs."}],[{"start":94.44,"text":"“Many retail investors have suffered significant losses in the single-stock leveraged ETF craze, and their perception of these products has changed,” said Albert Yong, managing partner at Seoul-based hedge fund Petra Capital Management."}],[{"start":109.42,"text":"Investors who bought Samsung and SK Hynix leveraged ETFs when they launched in late May and held until mid-July lost about half their money, according to data from Mirae Asset Securities."}],[{"start":121,"text":"New investors in single-stock leveraged ETFs must now complete at least one hour of simulated trading a day for five days as part of an ongoing crackdown."}],[{"start":130.44,"text":"Trading platforms and apps are required to impose the regulations to ensure that users comply."}],[{"start":135.6,"text":"Earlier this month, regulators increased the minimum cash deposit from Won10mn to Won30mn ($21,000) and instituted a mandatory three hours of education for investors in such products."}],[{"start":148.36,"text":"Retail investors had poor understanding of how leveraged ETFs work, said Yong, who argued that many failed to realise that volatility could erode potential returns."}],[{"start":159.2,"text":"Some investors — colloquially known as “gaemi”, or ants — questioned whether the new rules would make much difference."}],[{"start":165.4,"text":"“It does feel a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, though it is better than doing nothing,” said Ms Yoon, a Seoul resident who lost money in the July crash. “I don’t think education or mock trading will be able to stop people who are determined to do it.”"}],[{"start":180.96,"text":"However, there are signs that tighter regulation is cooling the market. Daily turnover in single-stock leveraged ETFs fell from Won12.4tn on July 30 to just Won700bn on August 11, while investors redeemed Won1.4tn from the products between August 4 and 10."}],[{"start":200.44,"text":"“A lot of the leverage-fuelled retail investment seems to have been unwound, so the market appears to be in the process of normalising,” said Kim Hyung-kyoon, executive director at Tcha Partners, a Seoul-based asset management firm."}],[{"start":213.76,"text":"Meanwhile, the Kospi has rebounded more than a fifth from its July 30 trough, with investors regaining confidence in the AI trade although some remain cautious."}],[{"start":223.88,"text":"While the “fundamentals of AI remain intact”, Yong said, it “remains to be seen whether this is the beginning of a [new] bull market and how long this rebound will last”."}],[{"start":233.6,"text":"For Yoon, the rebound has done little to restore faith in policymakers. “Going through this volatile market, individual investors like us have grown increasingly resentful, wondering how we are supposed to invest in domestic stocks under these conditions,” she said."}],[{"start":248.64,"text":"“Trust in the government has been severely shattered.”"}],[{"start":255.92,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1786612073_9263.mp3"}