"Where Can I Buy SK Hynix?" Inquiries Surge as U.S. Retail Investors Stir

A Hot Topic on Major Overseas Investor Communities Like Reddit
Sharing Investment Methods... Petition for "US Listing" Emerges

On January 30, SK Hynix surpassed 900,000 won during intraday trading, drawing increasing attention from overseas individual investors. On major online communities such as Reddit, where investors from the United States and Europe gather, numerous posts are appearing asking how to purchase SK Hynix shares.

Recently, a post titled "How do I invest in a Korean company called SK Hynix?" appeared on the investor forum of Reddit, the largest online community in the United States. The user who posted the question commented, "This Korean company looks much better than Micron," but also asked, "No one seems to talk about SK Hynix. Where can I buy the shares?"

SK Hynix Factory. Photo by Yonhap News

American investors use electronic securities trading platforms such as Interactive Brokers (IBKR) to invest. However, it is known that SK Hynix shares are not available for trading on these platforms. In response, investors commented, "Unfortunately, you can't buy SK Hynix in the US," "The best option is indirect exposure through exchange-traded funds (ETFs)," and "Please make it possible to invest in SK Hynix from the US as soon as possible," among other reactions.

Some investors also expressed surprise at the sharp rise in SK Hynix's stock price. One overseas investor noted, "While Micron's stock price rose by 150%, SK Hynix climbed 200%. Given that SK Hynix's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sales ratio is higher than Micron's, this is natural," adding, "If SK Hynix were to be listed on a US exchange, it would be a major catalyst."

Currently, methods for purchasing SK Hynix shares from overseas, including the United States, are limited. Investors can either buy SK Hynix shares issued as global depositary receipts (GDRs) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany, or gain indirect exposure through various ETFs related to Korean companies.

Meanwhile, SK Hynix's share price has risen by nearly 40% over the past month, continuing its strong upward trend. On January 26 (local time), the global investment bank Citigroup significantly raised its target price for SK Hynix to 1.4 million won in a report. Citigroup forecast that this year, the average selling prices of DRAM and NAND flash would soar by 120% and 90%, respectively, compared to the previous year.