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Korean investors' top picks for A-shares and Hong Kong stocks in the first three quarters revealed
Data from the Korea Securities Depository Information Portal (SEIBro) shows that during the first three quarters of 2026 (settlement dates January 1 to September 30), the top 15 Hong Kong stocks by net buying by Korean investors totaled approximately $228 million, while the top 15 A-shares by net buying totaled approximately $79.87 million during the same period. Among them, the Global X China Semiconductor ETF ranked first with a net buying amount of $52.57 million in the first three quarters. On the A-share side, memory chip leader Cxmt Corporation was highly favored by Korean investors in the first three quarters, with its net buying amount accounting for more than half of the total for the top 15 A-shares. A-share growth sectors such as semiconductors, 5G communications, and power batteries also received favor.
Entering October, after Zhongji Innolight's H-shares ranked second in net buying among Hong Kong stocks in the first three quarters, its A-shares topped the A-share net buying list since October. Global X China Semiconductor ETF topped the list of Korean investors' net buying of Hong Kong stocks. In the first three quarters, the Global X China Semiconductor ETF ranked first with a net buying amount of approximately $52.57 million, followed by Zhongji Innolight's H-shares with approximately $43.48 million. Together, the two accounted for more than 40% of the total net buying of the top 15. Global X is an ETF brand under Mirae Asset, a Korean asset management institution. ETFs are an important tool for Korean investors to allocate to Hong Kong stocks. Among the top 15, there were 6 ETFs, with a combined net buying amount of approximately $128 million from Korean investors, accounting for about 56% of the total net buying of the top 15. These ETFs cover broad-based or thematic index products such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and batteries, the CSI 300 Index, the Hang Seng Tech Index, and the STAR 50 Index. Among them, the ChinaAMC CSI 300 Index ETF ranked second on the list of Korean investors' net buying of Hong Kong stocks in the first three quarters. In the first three quarters, Korean investors net bought $30.7 million of it.
Korean investors actively participated in this year's newly listed "hard tech" H-shares, buying stocks including Victory Giant Technology, Luxshare Precision, Zhipu, Xunce Technology, and Jitai Technology. Among them, the settlement amount for buying Zhipu reached $57.08 million, the highest on the list, but the selling amount also reached $51.15 million.
CXMT Corporation Dominates in the First Three Quarters, Zhongji Innolight Makes a Comeback
In the first three quarters, the A-share with the most net buying by Korean investors was Cxmt Corporation, with net buying of approximately $42.07 million, accounting for about 53% of the total net buying of the top 15 and nearly 10 times that of the second place. ChinaAMC CSI 5G Communications Theme ETF, Weichai Power, LiOn Micro, and CATL ranked second to fifth respectively. The semiconductor industry chain was the most concentrated direction for Korean investors' net buying: in addition to Cxmt Corporation, LiOn Micro, ChinaAMC Guozheng Semiconductor Chip ETF, Demingli, JCET, and AMEC all entered the top 15.
From October 1 to 9 (settlement dates), the top 15 Hong Kong stocks by net buying by Korean investors totaled approximately $4.98 million, while the top 15 A-shares totaled only approximately $860,000. The mainland market was closed from October 1 to 7 for the National Day holiday, and the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect was suspended, which was the main reason for the lower trading volume. On the Hong Kong stock side, Rongzun International Holdings, CATL's H-shares, and CSOP ChiNext ETF ranked in the top three, while consumer stocks such as Laopu Gold and Mixue Group, as well as tech stocks such as UBTech and MiniMax, also entered the list. In the two trading days after the October holiday, on the A-share side, Zhongji Innolight's net buying amount was approximately $588,000, accounting for about 68% of the total net buying of the top 15.
As of October 9, 2026, Korean investors' trading volume in mainland Chinese stocks surged by 30% year-on-year
According to SEIBro data, from January 1 to October 9 this year, Korean investors' total stock trading volume (buying plus selling) in the U.S., Hong Kong, mainland China, and European markets was $460.776 billion, down 4.52% from $482.604 billion in the same period last year. Among them, the U.S. remained the market with the most trading by Korean investors, with a trading volume of $449.742 billion, down 3.83% year-on-year. The mainland China market was the only one of the four markets to grow, with a trading volume of $1.633 billion, up 31.72% year-on-year.
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