With the dramatic collapse in SKT share price, the shockwaves reverberated across the retail investor community in South Korea. Over 400 billion won were wiped off the market within hours, leaving countless small investors—referred to locally as “ants”—reeling from the heavy losses they sustained and filled with a sense of regret.

Stock Price Decline of SKT

With little warning, SKT stock prices plummeted beyond analysts’ and investors’ expectations. SK Telecom was expected to enjoy a steady or moderately growing period as South Korea’s largest telecommunications service provider. Unexpected market forces and negative sentiment took over, resulting in a sell-off that sent the stock plummeting into decline within a single trading session.

Preliminary reports claim that worse-than-expected earnings forecasts and general apprehension regarding the company’s future growth in competition with the rest of the telecommunications market will erode investor confidence almost instantaneously.

Dealing in the Market

Retail investors are most often long-position holders of major Korean stocks such as SK Telecom. They were among others hard-hit. Many had retained their shares with the belief that SKT stock price would stage a comeback after a few lackluster quarters. Instead, they found themselves saddled with huge paper losses.

Bitter accounts flooded social media with posts of why investors should have sold. “If I had sold when I had the chance,” one posted, “it’s too late now; the losses are unbearable.”

Such emotional fallout speaks of the inherent risks that accompany retail investing, especially when sentiments make an abrupt shift one way or the other.