[KOSPI 3300 Approaching] From Subscribing and Setting Alerts for 'Blue-Chip Stocks'... Smarter Retail Investors via YouTube

Immersed in Popular Stock Channels like Shuka World
Focusing on Undervalued Stocks Over Schemes and Theme Stocks
Popular YouTuber Surpasses 1 Million Subscribers

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] Last year is remembered as a year that broke the long-standing stereotype in the stock market that "retail investors always lose." Individual investors, often called "ant investors," used to follow foreign investors into certain stocks late, buying at the peak and selling at the bottom, repeatedly suffering losses. However, with the KOSPI rallying in earnest since last year, ushering in the "3000" era and now approaching the "3300" era, ant investors are no longer what they used to be. In short, they have become smarter. It is now rare to see them blindly chasing rumors and jumping on rapidly rising stocks only to suffer heavy losses and cut losses. Instead of investing in theme stocks or manipulated stocks, they have transformed into smart ants who thoroughly analyze stocks, buy undervalued blue-chip stocks at low prices, and sell at high prices. The emergence of these smart ants owes much to stock YouTubers. These YouTubers have hundreds of thousands to millions of subscribers and enjoy recognition comparable to celebrities. As evidenced by tens of thousands of daily views, they play a crucial role as information providers for retail investors.

According to the financial investment industry on the 17th, the stock-related YouTuber "Shuka World" had 1.55 million subscribers as of 1:30 PM the previous day. At the beginning of last year, Shuka World's subscriber count was around 400,000, but with the influx of individual investors into the stock market due to the Donghak Ant Movement, the number of subscribers has nearly quadrupled. The average views of over 800 videos reach 424,200, and the cumulative views exceed 207 million. The live broadcasts held every Sunday evening usually attract 40,000 to 50,000 viewers, rivaling the fanbases of many famous celebrities. Shuka, the operator of Shuka World, is a former Samsung Asset Management fund manager, and his popularity stems from presenting complex and difficult economic issues in an entertaining and easy-to-understand way.

During the same period, the channel with the largest subscriber growth was "SamproTV Economic Gods Together (SamproTV)." SamproTV's subscriber count has grown from about 100,000 at the beginning of last year to 1.42 million now, a growth of over 14 times in a year and a half. SamproTV attracts individual investors by having three economic experts?Kim Donghwan, Lee Jinwoo, and Jung Youngjin?explain stock market issues from the perspectives of an expert, intermediate, and beginner, respectively, in a diverse and easy-to-understand manner. They provide a wide range of stock-related information, from market conditions to expert discussions, simply and clearly. The average views of over 4,700 videos reach 37,900, with cumulative views totaling 348 million. Other popular stock-related YouTube channels include KimjakgaTV (804,000 subscribers), Super Ant Kim Junghwan (539,000), Park Gomhee TV (451,000), John Lee Lifestyle Stocks (376,000), Super Ant Bae Jinhan LesmonTV (211,000), and Super Ant Lee Semusa TV (161,000).

Currently, popular stock YouTubers have subscriber counts exceeding one million. They frequently appear on TV programs such as variety shows, boasting recognition higher than many celebrities. Their influence far surpasses that of traditional institutional experts. Individual investors base their investment decisions primarily on information obtained through YouTube. They watch videos provided by YouTubers to devise investment strategies and select stocks. They also learn how to read business reports and disclosures, as well as acquire investment information on the overall economy, including interest rates and exchange rates.

One individual investor said, "In the past, I would blindly trust all the information from the news and invest, but now I filter information based on the broad economic knowledge gained from various YouTube channels and consider whether specific industries or stocks will remain promising in the future." They added, "I can get real-time answers to my questions, and if I leave topics I want to know about in the comments, related content is quickly produced and uploaded, so I keep returning to stock YouTuber channels."