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A daily market brief, published each morning. Markets, stocks, industry, economy, global, and policy — sorted by category.

Global·2026-07-10

US Commerce Secretary Presses Chipmakers as SK, Samsung Chiefs Engage Washington

SK Hynix said it plans to use part of the roughly $26.5 billion (about 35 trillion won) raised from its ADR listing to fund back-end investments in Gwangju and South Jeolla, and will convert currency for the purpose — a move seen as supportive for the won. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaking at a Micron Technology groundbreaking event, pressed Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to build more factories in the United States, seen as a pointed remark given SK Hynix's plan to redirect US-raised capital toward Korean investment. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won reportedly traveled to the US to attend SK Hynix's Nasdaq opening-bell ceremony, while Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang again later this month, fueling speculation about expanded Gwangju investment and potential Nvidia investment in Korea. Domestic semiconductor equipment stocks rallied on the news.

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Global·2026-07-08

China Weighs Restricting Overseas Access to Its Top AI Models

Reuters reported that Beijing is considering restricting overseas access to China's most advanced frontier AI models — a signal, the hosts said, that China now treats cutting-edge AI as a critical national asset requiring control. Alongside this, DeepSeek is reportedly developing its own AI chips. China had previously pursued a fully open-source strategy to preserve global market share, but recent signs point to a shift toward monetization, similar to Anthropic's approach, alongside treating AI as a strategic national asset. The hosts suggested this could ultimately become a new source of chip demand — if overseas access is restricted, China will need to rapidly build out domestic AI data-center infrastructure. They also noted that at the ICML machine-learning conference held in Korea, a large share of the papers presented came from Chinese researchers, a sign that China's technical fundamentals are strengthening quickly.

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Global·2026-07-07

WSJ's 'Squid Game' Warning and the NATO Summit Wildcard

The Wall Street Journal warned Korea's market could turn into a 'Squid Game,' citing concentration in Samsung and SK Hynix, volatility from leveraged products, and foreign capital flight. Panelists partly agreed on the outflow point but stressed that while Japan's Nikkei, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Taiwan's index fell only about 1% in the same session, the Kospi's 6% plunge reflected domestic ETF and leverage mechanics amplifying the impact far more than actual foreign selling volume warranted. President Lee Jae-myung is set to attend the NATO summit in Canada, where President Trump is also expected, with defense spending likely a key topic. Given that Canada's submarine contract decision was announced just before the summit, panelists flagged the possibility that Korea could use the summit to engage Canadian PM Mark Carney and pursue further defense and economic cooperation opportunities.

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