Tesla Tops U.S., Samsung Leads Korea: July's Most Popular Stocks

U.S. Market: AI Momentum Continues
Short-term High Flyers Dominate the Scene
Korean Market: Buying Focused on Semiconductors and Shipbuilding Stocks

Kakao Pay Securities has released a report summarizing the returns and top-purchased stocks among users who traded domestic and overseas stocks via its platform during July. According to the analysis, the average return on U.S. stocks was 7.8%, while Korean stocks recorded an average return of 4.8%.

In the U.S. market, leveraged products and stocks related to artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrencies showed strong performance. In the Korean market, Samsung Electronics once again reclaimed the top spot in purchase rankings.

U.S. Market: AI Momentum Continues, Surge in Short-term High Flyers

In July, the average return for all U.S. stocks was 7.8%, up from 6.0% in June, marking two consecutive months of gains.

The robust performance of "AI-related stocks" drove the increase. The Tesla 2x Leveraged ETF (TSLL, -10%) and Tesla (-3%) maintained their positions as the top two most purchased stocks, despite weak earnings and political uncertainties. Nvidia (+13%) climbed three spots from the previous month to rank third, returning to the top tier as expectations for AI demand persisted.

Stocks that experienced rapid short-term gains newly entered the 7th to 10th spots, including Above Food Ingredients (ABVE, +50%), AEye (LIDR, +301%), SharpLink Gaming (SBET, +89%), and Incannex Healthcare (IXHL, +168%), highlighting a surge in short-term trading activity.

Meanwhile, the "top stock traders," who ranked in the top 10% for monthly returns for three consecutive months, posted an average return of 53.1%, down from 64.7% the previous month. These investors pushed option-based weekly dividend ETF ULTY (-3%) and 2x Bitcoin ETF BITX (+14%) to the top two spots, demonstrating the potential of various investment strategies. Additionally, leveraged ETFs, crypto-related stocks, and AI/tech stocks were broadly diversified across their portfolios.

Korean Market: Buying Focused on Semiconductors and Shipbuilding

The average return for all Korean stocks was 4.8%, down from 6.9% in the previous month.

Despite a correction in "large-cap IT stocks," Samsung Electronics (+19%) reclaimed the top purchase spot, buoyed by news of a 22 trillion KRW semiconductor order from Tesla. SK Hynix (-6%) climbed four spots to rank third, while Hanwha Ocean (+41%) entered fourth place amid expectations for the shipbuilding industry's emergence as a strategic sector.

The average return among "top stock traders" was 37.6%, a slight decrease from 45.6% in the previous month. Peptron (+56%) rose to the top purchase spot, reflecting expectations for the commercialization of its "SmartDepot" technology and potential collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies. Other heavily invested stocks included Hanwha Aerospace (+17%), Samsung Heavy Industries (+14%), Alteogen (+22%), and Samchundang Pharm (+40%), indicating a strong focus on the defense, shipbuilding, and biotech sectors.

Kakao Pay Securities stated, "In July, Tesla-related stocks in the U.S. market and Samsung Electronics in the Korean market both ranked first in purchases, reaffirming that these are the most preferred stocks among domestic investors. Even amid high market volatility, there was a steady buying trend in leading blue-chip stocks, while at the same time, diversified investments in new themes such as AI, high-flying stocks, and strategic ETFs were also actively pursued."

Detailed information on the July investment trends of Kakao Pay Securities users can be found in the "Extremely Useful Investment News" section, available under the "Securities" menu in the "More" tab at the bottom of the Kakao Pay app.