3 South Korea ETFs for Q2 2021

South Korea is one of the Four Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, a group known for decades of rapid economic expansion. Since the 1960s, very few countries have boasted as consistent and explosive economic growth as South Korea. It is the fourth-largest economy in Asia behind India, Japan, and China, which is the biggest. While the COVID-19 pandemic triggered South Korea’s worst economic performance in decades, the economy is bouncing back on strong government stimulus and rising exports. Investors seeking to gain exposure to the South Korean market may wish to consider exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on South Korean equities.

Key Takeaways

  • South Korean equities have significantly outperformed the broader U.S. stock market over the past year.
  • The 3 South Korean ETFs currently available are KORU, FLKR, and EWY.
  • The top holding of each of these funds is Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

There are 3 distinct South Korea ETFs that trade in the U.S. South Korean equities, as measured by the Dow Jones South Korea Index, have dramatically outperformed the broader market with a total return of 61.0% over the past 12 months compared to the S&P 500’s total return of 24.6%, as of February 25, 2021. The best-performing South Korea ETF for Q2 2021, based on performance over the past year, is the Direxion Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares ETF (KORU), which is a leveraged ETF. We examine all three South Korea ETFs below. All numbers below are as of February 27, 2020.

Leveraged ETFs can be riskier investments than non-leveraged ETFs given that they respond to daily movements in the underlying securities they represent, and losses can be amplified during adverse price moves. Furthermore, leveraged ETFs are designed to achieve their multiplier on one-day returns, but you should not expect that they will do so on longer-term returns. For example, a 2x ETF may return 2% on a day when its benchmark rises 1%, but you shouldn’t expect it to return 20% in a year when its benchmark rises 10%. For more details, see this SEC alert.

Direxion Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares ETF (KORU)

  • Performance over 1-Year: 131.7%
  • Expense Ratio: 1.29%
  • Annual Dividend Yield: 0.01%
  • 3-Month Average Daily Volume: 161,503
  • Assets Under Management: $67.2 million
  • Inception Date: April 10, 2013
  • Issuer: Direxion

KORU is a leveraged fund targeting large-cap South Korean names. The fund seeks a return that is 300% of the performance of the benchmark MSCI Korea 25/50 Index for each single day. As with most leveraged ETFs, losses can be amplified during adverse price moves. The index tracks the large- and mid-cap stocks of the South Korean equity market. Like most leveraged funds, KORU is not intended to provide 300% returns of the benchmark index’s cumulative return over periods longer than a single day. The top holdings of KORU include Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (005930:KRX), a manufacturer of consumer and industrial electronic equipment and products which makes up about a quarter of KORU’s assets; SK hynix Inc. (000660:KRX), a manufacturer of semiconductor products; and LG Chem Ltd. (051910:KRX), often referred to as LG Chemical, is a chemical company.

Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF (FLKR)

  • Performance over 1-Year: 66.0%
  • Expense Ratio: 0.09%
  • Annual Dividend Yield: 0.97%
  • 3-Month Average Daily Volume: 35,476
  • Assets Under Management: $62.7 million
  • Inception Date: November 2, 2017
  • Issuer: Franklin Templeton Investments

FLKR tracks the FTSE South Korea Capped Index, a market cap-weighted index of large- and mid-cap stocks. The ETF, which is comprised of 140 stocks, follows a strategy focused on value stocks and is heavily weighted towards large caps. About one third (34%) of the fund’s holdings are based in the information technology (IT) sector, followed by a 13% allocation to the consumer discretionary sector, and 11% to the communication services sector. One attraction of FLKR is its low expense ratio, enabling direct investor access to South Korean equities at a competitive price. Its top three holdings include Samsung Electronics; SK hynix; and NAVER Corp. (035420:KRX), a provider of various web services such as search engine and online advertising.

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY)

  • Performance over 1-Year: 61.5%
  • Expense Ratio: 0.59%
  • Annual Dividend Yield: 0.68%
  • 3-Month Average Daily Volume: 3,836,063
  • Assets Under Management: $7.8 billion
  • Inception Date: May 12, 2000
  • Issuer: iShares

EWY tracks the MSCI Korea 25/50 Index, which gauges the overall performance of the large- and mid-cap segments of the South Korean equity market. EWY may appeal to investors seeking a tactical position in the South Korean market or to gain targeted international equity exposure. The ETF follows a value-based investing strategy. It is heavily weighted to the IT sector, with 37% of the fund’s 107 holdings based in that sector. Consumer discretionary stocks receive the next biggest weighting with a roughly 12% allocation, followed by an allocation of about 10% to the financial sector. A small number of companies make up a large percentage of EWY’s invested assets, with Samsung Electronics representing close to a quarter of the fund’s assets. The next two top holdings include SK hynix and NAVER.

The comments, opinions and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or to adopt any investment strategy. While we believe the information provided herein is reliable, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The views and strategies described on our content may not be suitable for all investors. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, all comments, opinions, and analyses contained within our content are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment, or strategy.

Article Sources

  1. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. "How Did South Korea's Economy Develop So Quickly?" Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  2. The World Bank. "GDP (Current US$)." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  3. Forbes. "South Korea Shows OECD It's Done In Covid-19 Era." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  4. Wall Street Journal. "South Korean Growth Shows Asia’s Stronger Recovery From Coronavirus." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  5. YCharts. "Financial Data." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  6. ETFdb.com. "ETF Screener." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  7. Direxion. "KORU." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  8. Direxion. "KORU Fact Sheet," Page 1. Accessed Mar. 1, 2021.

  9. ETFdb.com. "KORU Direxion Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  10. Franklin Templeton. "FLKR – Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF: Portfolio." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  11. ETFdb.com. "Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  12. MSCI. "MSCI Korea 25/50 Index (USD)," Page 1. Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  13. iShares. "EWY – iShares MSCI South Korea ETF." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

  14. ETFdb.com. "iShares MSCI South Korea ETF." Accessed Feb. 27, 2021.

Source: Read Full Article