Disruptive Theme of the Week: Some Surprise Winners YTD

Market predictions are not easy to make and looking at the YTD winners, there are some head-scratchers.  Let's take a closer look and make some sense out of the recent performance winners: wet and dry shipping; South Korea; and oil services ETFs.

ETF Trends • 14 hours ago

EWY: South Korea Is Cashing In On Its Memory Chips

The iShares EWY ETF gives American investors strong exposure to two of the leading global memory-chip makers: Samsung and SK Hynix, which are nearly 50% of the entire portfolio. Both companies are benefiting from a memory-chip shortage that is responsible for a surge in prices for HBM, DDRAM, and NAND memory chips. Much like Taiwan and the huge influx of foreign capital to semiconductor maker TSMC, the surge of capital into South Korea's chip-makers will a spill-over effect on the economy.

Seeking Alpha • Feb 23, 2026

Emerging Market ETFs: Human Focus Outperforms

Emerging market ETFs are back in focus. Two of the ten largest U.S.-listed ETF inflow winners year-to-date are broad EM funds.

ETF Trends • Feb 19, 2026

Should You Bet on South Korea ETFs After the Kospi Rally?

Kospi, South Korea's benchmark index, hit an all-time high above 5,600 on Thursday, after gaining about 3.09% in a single trading session. South Korea remains one of Asia's most lucrative markets, with the Kospi surging 79.35% over the past six months and 115.54% over the past year.

Zacks Investment Research • Feb 19, 2026

5 ETFs to Play 2026's Top-Performing Markets

The S&P 500 is off to a dismal start in 2026, lagging most developed-market indexes as investors pull back from U.S. tech stocks with elevated valuations.

Benzinga • Feb 18, 2026

South Korea's Chip-Fueled Surge Is Compelling But Temporary

South Korea, via the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY), has dramatically outperformed US indices over the past year, driven by semiconductor sector momentum. EWY remains attractively valued relative to US benchmarks, trading at a P/E of 19 and P/B of 2.23, despite the recent surge.

Seeking Alpha • Feb 13, 2026

South Korea ETF (EWY) Hits New 52-Week High

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF EWY is probably on the radar for investors seeking momentum. The fund just hit a 52-week high and moved up 169.60% from its 52-week low price of $48.49 per share.

Zacks Investment Research • Feb 12, 2026

Money in Motion: Record ETF Flows Power Global Shift

There's no stopping the momentum in the ETF market. January 2026 brought a record $166 billion in net inflows, surpassing the last three Januarys combined.

ETF Trends • Feb 10, 2026

Some Big Hedge Funds Bought This ETF—Up 117% in a Year

It's quite rare to see a big-name hedge fund picking up shares of an ETF, but whenever it does happen, there may be hints as to where opportunities may lie within a certain corner of the market.

24/7 Wall Street • Feb 6, 2026

South Korean stocks tumble as AI doubts and rate jitters trigger sharp selloff

South Korean equities slumped on Monday, leading declines across Asian markets, as uncertainty over interest rates and fresh doubts about the sustainability of artificial intelligence-related spending weighed heavily on technology shares. The benchmark Kospi fell as much as 5%, its steepest intraday decline since Nov.

Invezz • Feb 2, 2026