Trading volume across South Korea's 16 single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs reached 1.06 trillion won ($758.0 million) on Aug. 20, up 35.2% from 781.6 billion won the previous day and back above 1 trillion won just two days after reaching 1.2 trillion won on Aug. 18. The surge followed gains of 9.49% for Samsung Electronics and 12.73% for SK Hynix, lifting their leveraged products by 16–17% and 23–25%, respectively. Retail investors sold 93.6 billion won across four major leveraged products to lock in gains, while foreign investors bought SK Hynix-linked products. Retail investors also purchased inverse ETFs, which seek to profit from declines, suggesting some were positioning for a correction. Separately, Mirae Asset Securities said its top 1% of investors by one-month returns bought SK Hynix most heavily by 11 a.m., amid expectations for a roughly 40 trillion won buyback and cancellation program. Samsung Electronics ranked second in their net buying, while Korea Electric Power Corporation was their largest net sale after a 4.21% share-price gain.