SK Hynix labor and management have reached a tentative agreement on this year's wage and collective bargaining after extended talks centered on excess profit sharing (PS) and how wages would be adjusted if the company posts losses. The two sides negotiated through the night at the company's Icheon campus in Gyeonggi Province and plan to finalize the wording before presenting it to delegates and then union members for feedback and a final vote. The main focus is whether management lowered the mandatory stock-payment ratio for performance bonuses and how long any lock-up period (mandatory holding period before sale) will last. Management had proposed paying 60% to 70% of performance bonuses in company stock with a 2- to 4-year sales restriction, an idea the union resisted because workers would bear share-price volatility. The same day, South Korea tightened access to single-stock leveraged products. New individual investors without prior experience must complete at least five trading days and five total hours of simulated trading before making actual purchases, in addition to an existing 30 million won base deposit and three hours of pre-education. The rule covers products tied to Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and overseas names such as Tesla 2x ETFs. Trading in these products has fallen sharply since the rules took effect, while spot margin trading (borrowing to buy shares) has revived. Analysts say some speculative demand appears to be shifting from leveraged products into margin loans, but they also argue that further inflows into single-stock leveraged ETFs may remain limited because many retail investors are still recovering from earlier losses and broader macro pressure, including higher U.S. Treasury yields, is weighing on equity valuations.