Yeouido Stock Market (photo = Yonhap News)

[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Sangjin] Domestic securities firms in South Korea are currently experiencing a significant restriction in their U.S. stock trading services. Until August 15, trading will be limited to just 29 exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

As of August 8, major South Korean securities firms, including Mirae Asset Securities, Samsung Securities, and Kiwoom Securities, were informed by Blue Ocean, the U.S. alternative trading system (ATS) partner, that only these specific ETFs would be available for trading. The list includes prominent ETFs like 'QQQ,' which tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, but excludes popular semiconductor ETFs such as 'SOXX,' 'SOXS,' and 'SOXL.'

This restriction comes after Blue Ocean announced on August 5 that orders placed after 2:45 PM would be canceled and subsequently decided to halt weekly trading operations from August 6. The decision was made due to a surge in order volumes following a significant decline in the U.S. stock market, which led to system overloads and operational issues.

Currently, Blue Ocean is focused on system recovery, and there is uncertainty regarding the availability of additional ETFs for trading after August 15.

 

 

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