Goldman Sachs Trading Department: South Korean retail investors' determination to buy on dips is fading.

Goldman Sachs's sales and trading department stated in a report that, with the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the weakening of the South Korean won, the mentality of retail investors in South Korea to buy on the dips has likely started to fade. Media reports on this report published late last Friday show that in the past few weeks, retail investors have been the main force behind the inflow of funds on the dips, contributing to about 50% of the trading volume in the South Korean composite stock price index. However, their available funds are gradually depleting. Since mid-March, the trend of deposits has noticeably declined, indicating that a considerable amount of retail investor funds have been invested in the market or withdrawn. According to Goldman Sachs data: in the first week of March, the average total purchase scale of retail investors was 32.6 trillion Korean won, while after March 9, it dropped to 20.6 trillion Korean won. The US dollar breaking below the psychological barrier of 1500 Korean won also dampened the sentiment in the local market.