"Catch the Seo-hak Ants"... Securities Firms Flooded with Overseas Stock Investment Events

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji-hwan Park] Securities firms are launching a series of events for individual investors investing in overseas stocks. They are competing to attract the interest of "Seohak Gaemi" investors through various methods such as providing investment support funds, commission discounts, and offering prices from 10 years ago.

According to the financial investment industry on the 22nd, Samsung Securities is providing up to $100 to investors who are starting overseas stock investment for the first time. If there has been no overseas stock trading from January 1, 2015, to last month, they give an investment support fund of $20, and then provide a stepwise trading celebration support fund of up to $80 based on the amount of online overseas stock trading.

KB Securities and Kiwoom Securities offer a benefit of applying a 0.07% online commission rate for overseas stocks. Hanwha Investment & Securities offers a commission discount for customers ordering their first overseas stock non-face-to-face, with 0.069% for the U.S. and 0.15% for China and Hong Kong for three months from the application date.

Eugene Investment & Securities is holding an "Overseas Stock Steal Event" through a lottery, allowing participants to purchase popular overseas stocks at prices from 10 years ago. Stocks such as Google, Tesla, and Apple can be purchased at striking prices of $266.5, $4.8, and $13.6 respectively.

Korea Investment & Securities is conducting an overseas stock giveaway event for customers using its mobile trading system (MTS) "Bankis." New and dormant overseas stock customers receive up to four types of overseas stocks such as DHY, ICLN, GM, and Nike through a lottery based on their trading amount.

Ebest Investment & Securities is also running an event for first-time overseas stock traders, randomly giving one overseas stock when trading over 5 million KRW. The stocks given include blue-chip stocks such as Amazon, Google (Alphabet C), Microsoft, IXC ETF, and American Airlines. They also provide up to 1 million KRW in cash depending on the stock deposit amount.

Hyundai Motor Securities is conducting an overseas stock giveaway event for VIP customers who trade more than 10 million KRW in overseas stocks, giving stocks to 50 customers every month. Among five representative U.S. blue-chip stocks such as Chevron, AMD, and IHS Markit, the stock closest to $110 in the first week of each month is given.

Securities firms are intensifying overseas stock-related events to attract the rapidly increasing demand for overseas stock investment. According to the Korea Securities Depository, the overseas stock settlement amount by domestic investors this year has reached $272.1 billion, which is already 1.4 times last year's amount ($198.3 billion).

An industry official said, "With the recent stock market boom, the number of domestic stock investors has surged, and the number of investors turning their eyes to overseas stocks is also increasing. While the growth of the domestic stock market can be seen as almost reaching its limit, the overseas stock market can still be viewed as a new market with wide-open doors."