Samsung vs SK Hynix: which wins over 15 years?
This page compares 15 years of steady monthly investing into Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, Korea's two memory-chip giants, using the comparison calculator. Beyond the final return, it places their maximum drawdowns and recovery periods through the semiconductor cycle side by side to show why it's hard to declare one simply 'better.'
⚠️ This asset is an individual stock chosen as of today, so past returns can look better than they really were (survivorship bias).
Investment conditions
Asset · Samsung Electronics vs SK Hynix
Method · Comparison
The key point is that you cannot judge which is 'better' from the final return alone. Though both are in semiconductors, their differing business concentration gives them different volatility and drawdown character. A more memory-concentrated stock can rise more in up-cycles but suffer deeper drawdowns in down-cycles, while a broadly diversified one may swing more gently. In the comparison calculator, look not only at each ending balance but also at each stock's maximum drawdown (how far it fell from its peak) and recovery period (how long it took to recover). The same return can involve a very different experience of decline and stress along the way.
Open in comparison calculatorWhy this period and asset
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are Korea's two leading memory-chip makers, but their business structures differ. Samsung is a diversified electronics company spanning memory, foundry, smartphones, and appliances, while SK Hynix is more concentrated in memory such as DRAM and NAND. Over the past 15 years, both passed through the repeated booms and busts of the semiconductor 'cycle.' In up-cycles when memory prices surge, the more memory-concentrated SK Hynix tended to swing more widely, and in down-cycles it often fell more deeply. The broadly diversified Samsung, by contrast, moved more gently in many stretches. Yet in certain phases this relationship reversed, so neither always led.
Caveats & limits
Because this compares two individual stocks, be mindful of survivorship bias: you see only the firms that survived to be compared, not peers in the same industry that faltered or disappeared. This also reflects one specific past period; shifting the start or end date even slightly can change which leads. Individual stocks can carry far deeper drawdowns and concentration risk than an index. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and in real investing, trading fees, taxes, and dividends all affect outcomes. This page does not recommend buying or selling any stock; it is educational material comparing the character of two companies.
Data sources & limits
- This asset is an individual stock chosen as of today, so past returns can look better than they really were (survivorship bias).
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Samsung or SK Hynix?
Neither is always better. Leadership alternated with the semiconductor cycle. The more memory-concentrated stock rose more in up-cycles but had deeper drawdowns in down-cycles, while the broadly diversified one moved more gently. Use the comparison calculator to weigh return against drawdown directly.
What should I watch out for when comparing individual stocks?
Individual stocks carry greater concentration risk and can fall far more deeply than an index. Remember too that both compared here are survivors (survivorship bias); peers in the same industry that struggled or vanished do not appear in this comparison.
What should I use as the basis for comparison?
Don't look at the final return alone. Also check maximum drawdown, time underwater, and recovery period. In a cyclical industry like semiconductors, whether you can withstand the depth and length of mid-course declines shapes the real experience.
Related scenarios
📋 结果基于历史数据计算,过去的收益不代表未来的收益。
📋 本服务旨在帮助理解投资、供教育之用,并非投资建议。
⚠️ 以当前代表性资产计算,可能与当时的市场构成不同。
⚠️ 各资产的波动性与风险水平不同,仅凭收益率无法判断孰优孰劣。