Optimism in South Korean equities is cooling, prompting institutional investors to trim positions and buy protection. Hedge fund Golden Horse has cut risk exposure and increased derivatives hedges; Prudential reduced stakes in storage-chip and wafer-foundry names and shifted toward downstream AI supply‑chain exposure. Options flow shows investors buying puts on the iShares MSCI Korea ETF; the ETF fell 14% in US trading last Friday. Golden Horse managing partner Yi Ling Ong said, “In recent weeks

Optimism in South Korean equities is cooling, prompting institutional investors to trim positions and buy protection. Hedge fund Golden Horse has cut risk exposure and increased derivatives hedges; Prudential reduced stakes in storage-chip and wafer-foundry names and shifted toward downstream AI supply‑chain exposure. Options flow shows investors buying puts on the iShares MSCI Korea ETF; the ETF fell 14% in US trading last Friday. Golden Horse managing partner Yi Ling Ong said, “In recent weeks we’ve modestly trimmed overall positions and layered on derivatives hedges,” and added that several large IPOs this month, including SpaceX, are expected to prompt institutions to raise cash, so “holding some cash is prudent.”