Hantoo Asset Management, ACE AI Semiconductor Focus: "31.42% Return Since Early Year"

Korea Investment Trust Management announced on the 20th that the ACE AI Semiconductor Focus Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is recording the highest performance among 소재·부품·장비 (SoBuJang) ETFs since the beginning of the year.

SoBuJang ETFs invest in materials, parts, and equipment. According to the Koscom ETF CHECK classification, there are currently 12 SoBuJang ETFs listed domestically. Among them, the ACE AI Semiconductor Focus ETF has shown the highest return since the beginning of the year at 31.42%. Considering that the average return of SoBuJang ETFs during the same period was a sluggish -6.65%, this is a remarkable achievement. The recent 6-month return of the ACE AI Semiconductor Focus ETF was also recorded at 25.22% (ranked 1st), significantly outperforming the average SoBuJang ETF return of -8.68%.

The ACE AI Semiconductor Focus ETF, launched by Korea Investment Trust Management in October last year, is characterized by investing in core companies related to artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Its underlying index is the 'FnGuide AI Semiconductor Focus Index,' calculated and published by FnGuide.

According to the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), the global AI semiconductor market's share of the total semiconductor market is expected to increase from 10.1% in 2023 to 20.4% in 2028. As the market expands, the importance of HBM, which offers higher data transfer speeds and capacity compared to traditional memory semiconductors, will also increase. Korean companies, which occupy over 90% of the HBM market, are expected to benefit. Market research firm Trendforce forecasts that SK Hynix will hold the top global HBM market share at about 53%, followed by Samsung Electronics at about 42%, based on this year's shipment volume.

The ACE AI Semiconductor Focus ETF also concentrates on the three major HBM companies. As of the previous day, the top holdings of the ACE AI Semiconductor Focus ETF include Samsung Electronics (29.98%), SK Hynix (26.29%), and Hanmi Semiconductor (19.89%). Besides these three stocks, the ETF equally weights 17 other semiconductor companies.

Kim Seung-hyun, ETF Consulting Manager at Korea Investment Trust Management, explained, "Although macro risks such as economic recession and the U.S. presidential election have recently increased, the long-term growth potential of AI semiconductor companies remains unchanged. In fact, global DRAM sales rose by approximately 24.8% quarter-on-quarter to $22.9 billion in the second quarter."

He added, "As the AI semiconductor market grows, the benefits to domestic companies leading the global memory semiconductor market, including HBM, will continue. The ACE AI Semiconductor Focus ETF, which allows automatic diversified investment in the three major HBM companies, is worth paying attention to."

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