This month, the quantum computer exchange-traded fund (ETF), which was launched in large numbers in March, has risen significantly. As related corporations announced better-than-expected performances, stock prices rebounded, and investor buying activity is increasing.
At the beginning of the year, as interest in quantum computer technology grew, asset management companies uniformly launched related ETFs. However, at the time of listing, related corporation stock prices dropped, leading to criticism that the ETFs were launched late while enthusiasm for quantum computers had already cooled. Looking back two months later, it appears that listing the ETFs during the stock price adjustments was a "masterstroke."
According to Korea Securities Computer's check on the 21st, the ETF with the highest increase this month (from May 2 to 20) is Shinhan Asset Management's "SOL U.S. Quantum Computing TOP10" ETF, which surged by 30.3%.
During the same period, Kiwoom Asset Management's "KIWOOM U.S. Quantum Computing" (19.4%), Samsung Active Asset Management's "KoAct Global Quantum Computing Active" (18.2%), and KB Asset Management's "RISE U.S. Quantum Computing" (17.1%) ranked 3rd, 6th, and 9th, respectively.
In March, KB, Shinhan, Hanwha, and Samsung Active Asset Management launched quantum computer ETFs all at once. After Kiwoom Asset Management launched the first quantum computer ETF at the end of last year, attracting popularity with a 20-fold increase in assets set up within two months, other asset management companies began launching competing products one after another.
Quantum computers, which possess 30 trillion times the processing capability of existing computers, received attention from the beginning of the year as the artificial intelligence (AI) market expands, as they can handle vast amounts of calculations. The news that a quantum computing institutional sector would be established at the world's largest IT and electronics trade show, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, held on Jan. 7 in the U.S., acted as a catalyst.
However, the stocks related to quantum computers, which had surged, soon underwent corrections. Projections that it could take a long time for related technologies to be commercialized led to a deterioration in investor sentiment.
As the quantum computer theme gained attention, the asset management companies that released related ETFs sequentially found themselves in a difficult situation. It takes considerable time from product planning to receiving listing reviews from the Korea Exchange before ETFs can be listed, and during that time, interest in quantum computer technology had already significantly diminished. The stock prices of related stocks significantly dropped before and after the ETFs were listed.
However, the atmosphere turned around again this month. As stock prices of U.S. quantum computer-related stocks soared, the related ETFs are also rebounding. Stocks of U.S. D-Wave Quantum and IonQ surged by 140% and 30%, respectively, this month. News of improved performance positively affected the stock prices.
D-Wave reported that it achieved record revenue in the first quarter of this year, with a sixfold increase compared to the previous year, and the scale of net loss improved significantly to $5.4 million, down from $17.3 million year-on-year. IonQ also exceeded market expectations with first-quarter revenue of $7.6 million, surpassing the forecast of $7.5 million, and reduced its net loss compared to the previous year. Rigetti Computing had lackluster performance in the first quarter, but along with the rise of the quantum computer theme, its stock price rose by 34% during the same period.
In the case of domestic quantum computer ETFs, they were launched when stock prices were falling, and thus, they are receiving positive evaluations for good performance after listing. The buying activity of individual investors continues as well. Individuals have net purchased a total of 11.1 billion won in the four quantum computer ETFs that were listed on March 11, until the previous day.
However, regarding the timeline for the full commercialization of quantum technology, there remains uncertainty; hence, opinions suggest that stock price fluctuations could increase depending on performance and fundraising. A securities industry official noted, "The growth momentum of quantum computer corporations has not yet been concretely proven, so stock price volatility could increase based on quarterly performance and other results, which must be cautious."