SV_Techie
Entrepreneur & Startup Mentor, Technology Investor
Coupang has built a logistics network that is incredibly difficult to replicate, leaving a lot of room to turn that scale into better economics over time. x.comÂ
Coupang is a phenomenal buy because a board member just bought $136 million of stock, probably the largest non-founder insider purchase ever seen, and there is only one reason to do that. It trades at about 20x next-12-month EBITDA, with EBITDA expected to grow about 30% a year for the next few years, though margins compress slightly this year on Taiwan expansion. Versus Sea, Coupang looks a little cheaper after being overly punished for its data breach. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Coupang looks like a long-term buy on a typical reversal pattern coupled with a large insider purchase. Per @BourbonInsider, a director just bought 7M shares for about $136.6M at prices of $18.48 to $19. x.comÂ
Korean equities have a central role in the AI trade because Samsung and SK hynix supply most of the memory it needs. Despite the shakeout, the KOSPI leads the major markets shown at roughly +36% this year. The bullish lean faces a flow warning: Korean semiconductor ETF 20-day flows fell from nearly +$4B in June to about -$703M by October 18 as the index approaches rising support. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductor stocks have not priced in a record wave of AI chip demand. Taiwan chip exports jumped over 20% in a single month and demand is 30% above three months earlier, the biggest in history, while Korea is also seeing record semiconductor demand, up 30% on mid-2026. A step change in demand comes while semis are still cheaper than before the AI boom. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Coupang counts Kevin Warsh, a board member since 2019, among its shareholders, a signal that justifies buying more. x.com x.comÂ
Semiconductor fundamentals have improved as SpaceX and Meta say spending will rise further, while rates have come down. Earlier caution rested on fears that megacaps could not sustain spending and rising rates would slow AI investment; neither worry has played out. Today's selling feels more like stops being hit and investors giving up. x.com x.comÂ
China's domestic market lets YMTC and CXMT threaten Micron, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix without entering US products. China receives 15-25% of smartphones and PCs and is on a path to at least 20-30% memory share over the next several years; current leaders are much too optimistic. History suggests at least a near-term semiconductor rally even if the AI trade has topped. It likely has not: agentic AI should give the trade room to run into 2027. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Korean equities are probably going higher as Samsung and SK hynix move toward capital returns while memory fundamentals strengthen. Multiple banks share the Samsung capital-return thesis, SK hynix says returns are imminent, both cite strong demand and long-term agreements, and Apple says memory prices will rise a lot next quarter. With froth and leverage cleared and hyperscaler revenue accelerating, a healthier rally looks likely, depending partly on a reasonable Iran resolution. x.com x.com … Show more
Semiconductors are more likely to go up than down from here at current valuations, since 2028 is probably a 20-30% capex growth year. AI capabilities and model revenue are ramping at an unprecedented pace and chip spending drives earnings growth for the whole market, while multiples stay reasonable on cyclical fears. The risk: model revenue added about $170 billion in 2026 against $780 billion of capex, and if capex flattens after an expected $1.1 trillion in 2027, multiples may stay low. x.comÂ