South Korean crypto activity sinks to one-year low as traders switch to stocks

Interest in crypto trading in South Korea has declined. Traders have switched to the stock market in search of more reliable returns. 

South Korean crypto markets have slowed down, with traders moving into stocks again, in search of more reliable returns. Ki Young Ju, founder of CryptoQuant, noted South Korean crypto exchanges saw their activity slump to a one-year low. 

Until recently, South Korean markets provided liquidity and hype for relatively old altcoins, reviving some tickers after a listing. South Korean crypto exchanges were more conservative in selecting altcoins, and added those assets long after other traders had forgotten them. 

However, the pumps were not enough to build a sustainable market, causing an outflow of users. South Korean exchanges saw an outflow of users, with the lowest volumes for the past year. Crypto exchanges as a whole shifted their balance in the past year, with traders returning to Binance, and some switching to perpetual DEXs. South Korean exchanges mostly rely on local retail users, with pairs agains the South Korean won.

As Cryptopolitan reported earlier, South Korea has seen another inflation wave, sparking a search for assets to offset the currency devaluation. During previous cycles, speculative crypto trading fulfilled that role, but this time, the fear of a bear market has led to an outflow of traders. 

South Korean exchanges retain price premium

Despite the outflow of users, South Korean exchanges retain a premium on some assets. The South Korean Premium Index turned to the green in October. 

The index suggests that the remaining South Korean investors are still buying, boosting the price of BTC. The South Korean premium also shrank in the past two weeks, as BTC prices weakened. 

South Korean exchanges are also abandoning previous booming tokens like Pudgy Penguins (PENGU). 

For now, Upbit remains one of the main markets for Ripple’s XRP. However, altcoins remain subdued, further diminishing the volumes of the top South Korean exchanges. The lack of a clear altcoin market broke down investor expectations of growth, while the risk of crypto became more prominent. 

South Korean stock index moves near all-time high

The South Korean stock market absorbed investor liquidity in the past few months. The KOSPI index started climbing even more rapidly after April, rising near an all-time peak of 4,121.74 points. 

The KOSPI index broke out after two years of negligible net returns, rising from April’s level of around 2,400 points. The index closed at an all-time high as of November 3. It was up by 19.94% in October, the biggest monthly gain since January 2001. 

The top company in the index, Samsung Electronics, also outpaced crypto with a 85% yearly return. Other top stocks got a boost from the AI boom, leaving investors less interested in no-utility meme tokens and older altcoins.