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SK Hynix $26.5B ADS Offering Tops Alibaba Record

Wall Street Journal Markets •
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South Korea's SK Hynix launched a $26.5 billion American depositary share offering Friday, marking the largest foreign listing in history and surpassing Alibaba's previous record. The proceeds will fund the chipmaker's push into AI computing infrastructure under the country's national semiconductor initiative. Tickmill Group's Patrick Munnelly said the deal signals investors still treat the AI boom as a structural capital-cycle story rather than a momentum trade, with the recent pullback creating a cleaner entry point for those betting earnings will validate the capex cycle.

Wise Tech Global disclosed a 20% volume increase on its Cargo Wise platform from logistics giant DSV over the past six months, but RBC Capital Markets questioned the durability. The broker noted the rare contract-detail disclosure pressures the bear thesis of an imminent revenue cliff, yet warned the growth may not signal sustained commitment. DSV continues pursuing its "Count to One" tech consolidation strategy, which could shift volume to rival platform Tango. RBC maintains an outperform rating with a A$70 target; shares traded 2.7% lower at A$33.71.

Douglas Kim of Douglas Research Advisory projects SK Hynix ADRs could command a 17% premium over Seoul-listed shares when they debut on the Nasdaq, driven by institutional mandates requiring U.S.-listed holdings and a narrowing valuation discount versus Micron and Nvidia. The local stock rose 1% to KRW2,208,000 ahead of the listing.

The twin SK Hynix milestones — a record capital raise and a potential double-digit ADR premium — underscore how deeply global capital markets now price AI hardware scarcity. Wise Tech's contested DSV volumes reveal the fragility beneath logistics-software growth narratives. For investors, the Korean chip complex remains the clearest barometer of whether AI infrastructure spending translates into durable earnings power or merely fuels another valuation rerating.