Seoul, Feb 2, 2026, 08:00 KST — Premarket
- Shares ended Friday up sharply, closing at 909,000 won.
- January’s latest trade figures kept chip demand and prices front and center.
- Investors are focused on Monday’s open and the treasury-share cancellation set for Feb. 9.
SK hynix shares are back in focus before Monday’s open as fresh trade figures reveal the memory market remains red-hot, showing no immediate signs of cooling off.
South Korea’s exports climbed 33.9% in January, hitting $65.85 billion, government data revealed. Semiconductor shipments more than doubled, surging 102.7%. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy credited rising memory prices and AI server demand. “The surge in chip sales is expected to continue for the time being,” said Park Sang-hyun, analyst at iM Securities. Still, Kim Jung-kwan pointed to mounting uncertainty around U.S. tariff policies. (Reuters)
Price and mix are crucial for SK hynix at the moment. The company offers standard memory chips like DRAM, found in servers and devices, alongside high bandwidth memory (HBM) — a stacked, fast DRAM placed near AI processors to speed up data delivery.
The stock ended at 909,000 won on Jan. 30, marking a 5.57% gain for the day. It fluctuated between 853,000 and 931,000 won, the latter hitting the peak of its 52-week range, per Investing.
The surge comes after a strong quarter and a more aggressive push on shareholder returns. SK hynix posted a record fourth-quarter operating profit of 19.2 trillion won and highlighted how the AI boom will keep memory demand growing fast. The company also emphasized its lead in HBM memory, which powers Nvidia’s AI chipsets. Macquarie Equity Research pegged SK hynix’s HBM market share at 61%, but warned competition is heating up as Samsung Electronics aims to catch up. TrendForce has reported steep contract-price hikes for some DRAM products. (Reuters)
SK hynix announced in a regulatory filing it will cancel 15.3 million shares on Feb. 9. The company also declared a year-end dividend of 1,875 won per share, bringing total dividends for 2025 to 3,000 won per share, local media reported. (AJU PRESS)
Yet the very pricing boost that props up margins could squeeze customers. Should rising memory prices dampen device demand, or if AI server investments stall, the stock’s rally may falter fast. Rival catch-up and shifts in tariff rules remain key uncertainties.
Traders will watch Monday’s open closely to see if the export data sparks more momentum in a rally that’s already surged. The next key date is Feb. 9, when the company plans to complete its share cancellation.
