On June 9, 2026, the grand ballroom of Seoul’s Intercontinental Parnas buzzed with anticipation as Korea Investment & Securities joined forces with global asset management giant JP Morgan Asset Management to host the much-anticipated ‘Global Market Outlook’ seminar. This exclusive event, designed for the firm’s valued customers, wasn’t just another financial presentation—it was a window into the future of global investing, with artificial intelligence (AI) taking center stage as both a disruptor and a driver of new opportunities.
The seminar drew an impressive roster of financial experts, including Kerry Craig, JP Morgan’s global market strategist, and Christian Mariani, a US equity group investment specialist. Their message? The world of AI is evolving at breakneck speed, and savvy investors would do well to pay attention to the shifting landscape.
According to JP Morgan’s Kerry Craig, “AI infrastructure investment is driving corporate profit growth in the US, Japan, and Asia stock markets.” He explained that the AI sector is no longer just about training algorithms in the lab. “The AI industry is moving from the training phase to the inference phase, expanding investment opportunities across the AI value chain including networking, computing, memory, and power infrastructure.” In plain English, this means AI is stepping out of the classroom and into the boardroom, with tangible impacts on productivity and revenue for companies that know how to harness its power.
Christian Mariani echoed these sentiments, pointing out that the inference phase—where AI models are actually put to work in real-world applications—marks a turning point for the industry. With AI now generating real profits and efficiency gains, sectors like networking, computing, and even power infrastructure are suddenly flush with fresh investment possibilities. The message was clear: the AI value chain is broadening, and the window for investors to get in on the ground floor is wide open.
But the seminar wasn’t just about blue-sky forecasts. Attendees were keen to learn how these global trends translate into actionable strategies, especially in the context of the Korean market. Enter the ‘Korea Investment JP Morgan US Tech Fund,’ a product that’s been making headlines for its innovative approach. Unlike traditional funds that simply chase the largest tech stocks by market cap, this fund leverages JP Morgan’s global research muscle to pinpoint core companies across the entire AI ecosystem—think AI computing, custom processors, advanced networking, and cutting-edge power solutions.
The numbers tell a compelling story. In the week leading up to the seminar, approximately 300 billion KRW—yes, that’s about 300 billion Korean won—flowed into the fund. As reported by Korea Investment & Securities, “Even in a market environment where investor capital is flocking to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), our public offering fund has achieved meaningful sales results.” The firm attributes this success to JP Morgan’s differentiated stock selection capabilities and its robust global investment platform, which have together inspired a surge of investor confidence and capital inflow.
The appetite for these collaborative products isn’t limited to a single fund. By April 2026, Korea Investment & Securities had racked up a cumulative 1.1 trillion KRW in sales of co-developed offerings with global financial heavyweights like JP Morgan, Carlyle, MAN Group, Capital Group, AllianceBernstein, and Muzinich. This robust pipeline of international partnerships has helped propel the company’s individual customer financial product balances past the 100 trillion KRW mark as of May 20, 2026—a milestone that underscores the growing sophistication and global reach of Korean investors.
At the event, CEO Kim Sung-hwan of Korea Investment & Securities made the firm’s mission crystal clear: “Supporting customers’ long-term asset growth is our role as a company. We will continue to uncover global investment opportunities and introduce them to our clients as their foremost financial partner.” It’s a bold promise, but one that seems well-supported by the firm’s recent track record and the enthusiastic turnout at the seminar.
Of course, no investment outlook would be complete without a sober assessment of risks and the broader market context. Both Craig and Mariani cautioned against relying solely on the hope of interest rate cuts when navigating the bond market. Instead, they advised investors to focus on high-quality credit bonds that offer stable interest income, especially in an environment marked by persistent uncertainty. “In an uncertain investment environment, it’s important to center your portfolio on high-quality assets and global diversification,” Craig emphasized, highlighting the need for a measured, diversified approach even as new opportunities emerge.
Industry observers have taken note of the fact that, even as ETFs continue to dominate headlines and attract the lion’s share of capital in many markets, public offering funds like the Korea Investment JP Morgan US Tech Fund are still drawing significant inflows. According to data shared at the seminar, the combined assets under management for the Korea Investment JP Morgan Global High Yield Fund and the Korea Investment JP Morgan US Tech Fund have reached approximately 560 billion KRW—a testament to the enduring appeal of actively managed strategies that can adapt to fast-changing technological trends.
What’s driving this surge of interest? For many investors, it’s the realization that AI is no longer a futuristic buzzword. With the industry now in the inference phase, companies that provide the backbone—whether it’s networking hardware, computing power, memory chips, or energy infrastructure—are poised for significant growth. JP Morgan’s research-driven approach aims to identify these winners early, offering clients a chance to ride the next wave of technological transformation rather than chasing yesterday’s market darlings.
The seminar’s success also reflects a broader shift in the Korean financial landscape. As individual investors become more globally minded and technologically savvy, demand for sophisticated, research-backed products has soared. Korea Investment & Securities, by leveraging its partnerships with global asset managers, is positioning itself as a gateway to these international opportunities—a role that seems increasingly vital in a world where markets and technologies are more interconnected than ever.
For those who attended the ‘Global Market Outlook’ seminar, the message was as energizing as it was clear: the next chapter of growth in global markets will be written by those who understand the evolving AI value chain, embrace diversification, and partner with firms that have the research depth to separate fleeting fads from lasting trends. As the world’s financial and technological frontiers continue to blur, Korea’s investors are clearly eager to be part of the story.
With AI’s influence expanding and global investment opportunities multiplying, one thing is certain—Korea Investment & Securities and JP Morgan Asset Management are determined to keep their clients at the forefront of the action.