[Weekend Money] Stock Investment Waiting Funds Surpass 100 Trillion Won... Securities Stocks "Beaming"

Trading Volume Surpasses 1,000 Trillion Won in January
Up 52% from Previous Month
Stock Market Rally Boosts Securities Firm Earnings
Mirae Asset Securities Named Top Pick

On the 29th, when the KOSPI surpassed the 5,200 mark intraday for the first time in history, dealers were working in the dealing room at the Woori Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. On the same day, the won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,429.60 won, up 7.1 won from the previous trading day. January 29, 2026 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

As the domestic stock market continues its historic rally, expectations for the securities sector as a whole are rising rapidly. Following the investor deposits waiting to enter the stock market surpassing 100 trillion won for the first time ever, key brokerage indicators such as trading volume and the number of accounts have also reached record highs one after another. As a result, there are forecasts that securities firms will see improved earnings and stronger stock prices.

On February 1, Ahn Youngjun, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, described the current market as “a historic run” and commented, “You just need to be beside the rising market (in the securities sector).” This means that the overall direction of the stock market is favorable for the securities sector.

In fact, the strength of the domestic stock market is robust even compared to the past. The combined market capitalization of KOSPI and KOSDAQ reached 4,767 trillion won as of the end of last year, up 23% from the previous year, increasing by 884 trillion won in just one year. The domestic stock market is now widely considered to have entered an “unprecedented rally” phase.

Liquidity indicators make this strength even clearer. On January 27, investor deposits surpassed 100 trillion won for the first time ever. As of the end of last year, the figure was 87 trillion won, a 60% increase from the same period the previous year, and in less than a month, it has risen an additional 15% compared to the end of last year.

Along with the increase in deposits, trading volume has also surged. In January, the trading volume in the domestic stock market exceeded 1,000 trillion won for the first time ever, with a month-on-month increase rate of 52%. The number of active trading accounts also reached a new all-time high, increasing 2% from the end of last year to 99.82 million accounts.

This environment is considered structurally advantageous for the securities sector. Researcher Ahn explained, “Securities firms’ earnings are highly sensitive to trading volume in the stock market, and typically, the sector’s stock price trends move in line with the stock market and trading volume.” As long as the stock market remains strong and capital continues to flow into the capital market, both business conditions and stock price trends are expected to remain favorable.

Past cases support this view. In every phase when the domestic stock market saw significant gains-such as in 2009, 2017, and 2020-the securities sector’s stock prices moved in tandem with the broader market. Researcher Ahn emphasized, “In a strong market phase like now, it is important to maintain a preference for the securities sector.”

As an investment strategy, he recommended focusing on securities firms with a high market share in the retail segment. Since the recent strength in securities stocks is mainly driven by increased trading volume, companies with a higher proportion of individual investors are expected to benefit more. Kiwoom Securities selected Mirae Asset Securities as its top pick.

Researcher Ahn added, “In addition to the benefits of high retail market share, expectations remain valid for earnings turnaround, approval for integrated investment accounts (IMA), the launch of the National Growth Fund, the expansion of the cryptocurrency market, growth in overseas subsidiaries’ earnings, active shareholder returns, group governance restructuring, and the potential listing of unlisted investment companies such as SpaceX.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.