Hanwha Asset Management's 'PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor' Ranks No. 1 in Net Purchases by Individual Investors Among Overseas Semiconductor ETFs

Hanwha Asset Management's PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor ETF recorded approximately 600 billion won in net purchases by individual investors since the start of the year, ranking first among overseas semiconductor ETFs listed in Korea.

On October 28, Hanwha Asset Management said net purchases of the PLUS Global HBM Semiconductor ETF by individual investors since the start of the year totaled 593.3 billion won as of October 26, the highest among overseas semiconductor ETFs listed in Korea.

The inflow is seen as evidence of the fund's solid ability to protect returns amid market volatility. The ETF has returned 88.30% since the start of the year, ranking 10th among ETFs listed in Korea, including leveraged and inverse products. Its medium- and long-term performance has also been notable, with cumulative returns of 135.01% over the past year, 368.22% over two years, and 526.75% over three years.

The fund's differentiated investment strategy is cited as a key factor behind its performance. Unlike conventional semiconductor products focused solely on domestic companies, it invests in a balanced manner across the world's three major memory chipmakers by including U.S.-based Micron as a core holding alongside Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. During its regular rebalancing in May, the fund added SanDisk, a leading NAND company, and included testing and back-end process equipment makers such as Teradyne and Techwing. This established a broad global memory investment strategy spanning high-bandwidth memory (HBM), DRAM, NAND, and equipment.

The market expects favorable conditions in the memory sector to continue amid growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI). Expectations are building for SK hynix and Samsung Electronics ahead of their third-quarter earnings announcements. Meanwhile, a semiconductor supply shortage is expected to persist, with Anthropic, the developer of the AI model Claude, identifying it as a key risk in its IPO registration statement recently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

"Individual investors ranking first in net purchases this year shows that they view memory semiconductors not as a short-term theme but as an industry set to benefit structurally from the growth of AI infrastructure," said Geum Jeongseop, head of the ETF Business Division at Hanwha Asset Management. "We believe the structural growth of memory semiconductors driven by the spread of AI is only now entering full swing. We will be a reliable partner for long-term investors through stable management and communication with investors."

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