Global Market: South Korea steps up market monitoring as chip-driven volatility rattles stocks

South Korean authorities have stepped up market monitoring after heavy semiconductor-driven volatility, with the KOSPI falling as much as 4% and triggering a circuit breaker for the sixth time this year. The finance ministry flagged growing concentration in chip stocks, noting that movements in semiconductor shares increasingly drive broader market swings. Regulators will scrutinise single-stock leveraged ETFs tied to chipmakers, with the central bank warning such products could amplify one-sided trading and worsen volatility.