Korean regulators are finally moving against individual-stock leverage. The semiconductor super-cycle combined with high leverage makes this wave of volatility something that really has people on edge.

The chairman of the Financial Services Commission of South Korea, Lee Eewon, said he will announce, as soon as possible, supplementary measures for individual-stock leveraged products, stressing that the extent of the impact will determine the course of action, and that he will conduct a comprehensive assessment of whether to impose temporary trading halts and market declines. He believes the market has its own patterns, and that trading halts may bring side effects. The global semiconductor sector’s high volatility is the main backdrop for recent market fluctuations. Fueled by a “super cycle,” stock prices have risen rapidly in the short term, with investors’ expectations and concerns alternating. As the market capitalizations of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rise and increase their weighting in South Korea’s stock indexes, volatility in the semiconductor sector further amplifies its impact on the broader market.