Investors aged 60 and above posted the best investment returns this year. In the domestic market, large-cap stocks such as Hyundai Motor and Hanwha Galleria led gains, while in U.S. equities, a 3x leveraged ETF tracking the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index recorded the highest returns.
According to an analysis by The Seoul Economic Daily of 2.8 million Mirae Asset Securities customers (with net assets of 1 million won or more per account) from January 1 to February 28, investors aged 60 and above achieved the highest returns at 18.1%. Those in their 50s followed with 15.93%, while investors in their 40s recorded 10.33% and teenagers 10.06%. In contrast, investors in their 20s and 30s posted weak returns of just 1.26% and 1.91%, respectively. This survey does not reflect the impact of the Middle East crisis that dealt a direct blow to stock markets.
Industry analysts attribute the divergence in performance to differences in investment behavior. Both investors aged 60 and above and teenage investors showed stock trading turnover rates near 0%, indicating very low selling frequency. Turnover rate, calculated by dividing trading volume by the number of listed shares over a given period, indicates more frequent trading when higher. While high turnover during a bull market may suggest active trading, it can also be interpreted as a tendency toward short-term trading. For teenage investors, the positive returns appear linked to parents opening accounts and purchasing stocks for wealth accumulation, then holding positions for relatively long periods.
By market, large-cap stocks in domestic equities and leveraged ETFs in U.S. markets recorded triple-digit returns. To prevent statistical distortion, calculations included only stocks held by at least 1,000 customers per age group. Under this criterion, Hyundai Motor posted the highest returns among stocks held by investors under 10 and in their teens. Hyundai Motor surged 126% during this period (January 2 to February 27), overwhelming returns from Samsung Electronics (68%) and SK Hynix (57%). Among stocks held by investors in their 30s, 50s, and 60s and above, Hanwha Galleria ranked first with a 139% price increase. KOSDAQ-listed stocks performed best in accounts of investors in their 20s and 40s—Ecopro (110%) for the 20s and Hyundai Bio (205%) for the 40s.
For U.S. stocks, AI semiconductor-related stocks and ETFs recorded the highest returns across most age groups. Among holdings of investors under 10, in their teens, 20s, and 60s and above, the Direxion Semiconductor Daily 3X ETF performed best. The standout returns reflect its 3x leverage tracking of the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Among investments by those in their 30s and 50s, Vertiv Holdings posted the highest returns. Vertiv Holdings supplies power management and cooling systems to data centers and is cited as a beneficiary of the AI boom. Additionally, among products in accounts of investors in their 40s, global power solutions company Bloom Energy ranked first in returns.