Many of the readers who read this article are probably interested in the stock market. You can hear that someone made money from stocks every day. There is also a lot of stock-related content on popular videos on YouTube. It also happened that stock investment books became Kyobo Bookstore’s first-ever bestsellers. As such, the stock market is now drawing keen attention. As a college student, Pharos wants to learn about this phenomenon and to know what to pay attention to.

 Recently, the KOSPI has hit an all-time high of 3,160 points. The KOSPI is short for the Korea Composite Stock Price Index. This refers to an index created by compiling changes in stock prices of companies traded in the stock market, or securities market, which we are familiar with. It has been about 13 years and 5 months since the KOSPI surpassed 2,000 points on July 25, 2007. As such, the stock market boom is causing a great stock craze. People around us invest so much that it is hard to find people who do not own stocks. There is even a new concept for this. It is a comparison of the 1894 Donghak Peasant Movement, which took place in 1894, with large-scale buying by individual investors and large-scale selling by foreign investors since early last year, which plunged in the aftermath of COVID-19. This was added because individual investors who struggled to win foreign sales compared it to the Donghak Peasant Movement, an anti-foreign movement. In fact, foreigners sold 10 trillion won worth of Korean stocks up through March 20, 2020, while domestic individual investors bought nearly 9 trillion won worth.

 As such, many people are jumping into the stock market, which sees new prices every day. In the 2030 generation, the words FOMO people, Yeong-ggeul, etc. emerged. FOMO refers to the generation that acts with the mindset of “only I am left behind.” Yeong-ggeul is a short term for trading souls, which refers to the investment of people in their 20s and 30s when they use up their installment savings and get loans.

 There are many opinions that it is a golden time to invest in stocks. That’s why many people have jumped in. However, there are also concerns that the situation will be as negative as positive. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding expectations that stock prices will rise. This is because issues such as rising interest rates, U.S.-China conflicts, and corporate earnings can emerge as risk factors.

 In that case, I would like to introduce a significant point before getting into investing. Those who have made a bold investment will know. When stock prices start to fall, psychological anxiety is considerable. Therefore Pharos introduces how to invest wisely. There are many kinds of financial technology. It is recommended to use various types of real estate, stocks, and pensions. Making a big profit in a short period of time is more like speculation. The desire to make a fortune is dangerous. Therefore it is necessary to look at investing from a long-term perspective. Consumption is also important. There is a saying that spending money is more important than making money. Consumption has a lot of influence on assets. Finally, you have to continuously keep up with investment reading materials. In this era, knowledge is power and information is money.

 To sum up, the stock market is in a frenzy now. Therefore, many individual investors are flocking due to the anxiety that if I don’t do it, I'll be the only one left behind. There is also a sense of crisis that this opportunity will not come again. However, investments that are swayed by our surroundings are highly risky and we should be cautious. In addition, it is advantageous to start reading early. It is recommended that you get started with sufficient information.

75th Cub Reporter•KIM DA HUN•ekq8458@kyonggi.ac.kr