Business · Markets · 1 day ago
KB Securities strategist advises defensive investing amid market uncertainty
Kim Hee-kyung, a center director at KB Securities in South Korea, expects domestic and global stock markets to move within a limited range in the fourth quarter.
The Kospi has traded between 6,500 and 7,100 for nearly three months after falling sharply in the third quarter.
Kim says corporate earnings are supporting the market, but geopolitical risks and uncertainty over monetary policy are limiting gains.
The Iran war has kept oil prices near $90 a barrel, while the US Federal Reserve is weighing another interest-rate increase.
Against that backdrop, Kim advises investors to take some profits and keep 30% of their portfolios in cash-like assets.
She also recommends short-term bonds and tax-advantaged accounts as ways to protect assets.
The outlook is for continued uncertainty, and the advice is to prioritize defense rather than rely on long-term bonds for large gains.
KB Securities strategist Kim Hee-kyung expects global and South Korean markets to trade in a range during the fourth quarter.
She advises investors to protect assets by holding 30% of their portfolios in cash-like assets.
Her defensive strategy also includes short-term bonds and tax-advantaged accounts.
She cites geopolitical risks and uncertainty over monetary policy as factors limiting market gains.
The KOSPI has traded between 6,500 and 7,100 for nearly three months after a sharp third-quarter fall.
- Who
- Kim Hee-kyung, head of the Gold & Wise The First Dogok Center at KB Securities.
- What
- She advised a defensive investment strategy, including holding 30% of portfolios in cash-like assets.
- When
- For the fourth quarter; the article was published on October 10, 2026.
- Where
- In global and South Korean stock markets.
- Why
- Geopolitical risks and uncertainty over monetary policy may constrain market gains.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Corporate earnings are currently providing solid support, so the KOSPI’s floor is firm, but geopolitical risks and uncertainty over monetary policy are weighing on the ceiling. In the fourth quarter, it is time to realize some profits and keep 30% of the portfolio in cash-like assets.
The KOSPI fell sharply after rising above 9,000.
The KOSPI moved within a range of 6,500 to 7,100.
Kim forecast range-bound markets and advised a defensive investment strategy.
- Strategist
- Kim Hee-kyung
- Firm
- KB Securities
- Cash-like assets
- 30% of portfolio
- KOSPI range
- 6,500–7,100 for nearly three months
- Oil price
- West Texas Intermediate crude around $90 a barrel
Sources
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