SK Hynix Inc (000660.KS) — Quality & forensics

As of 2026-09-18 — refreshed nightly. Closelook readings from an investment research diary, not ratings or advice.

The Closelook module scores

68 /100 composite · 7 modules · semis-cyclical weight set

Valuation 74
Quality 94
Growth 91
Balance sheet 78
Cash quality 61
Capital allocation 44
Momentum 36

Scores are computed nightly across the coverage universe and read relative to it — the methodology lives in the company-scoring explainer.

Financial forensics — the academic screens

15.91 Altman Z-Score

Sits in the safe zone (above 2.99). The Z-Score estimates financial-distress risk from five balance-sheet and earnings ratios.

8/9 Piotroski F-Score

Nine binary fundamental-strength checks across profitability, leverage and operating efficiency.

-2.39 Beneish M-Score

Screens reported earnings for statistical manipulation patterns — below the −1.78 manipulation-risk threshold. A screen, not an accusation.

Continue: the 000660.KS chart & overview · 000660.KS on the tape

FAQ · from the current data · as of 2026-09-18

Quick answers

What is SK Hynix Inc's Closelook quality reading?

The composite reads 68/100 across 7 modules, as of 2026-09-18: valuation 74, quality 94, growth 91, balance sheet 78, cash quality 61, capital allocation 44, momentum 36. Closelook scores are research diary readings, not ratings or investment advice.

What is SK Hynix Inc's Altman Z-Score?

15.91, which sits in the safe zone (above 2.99) as of 2026-09-18. The Altman Z-Score estimates financial distress risk from five balance-sheet and earnings ratios.

What is SK Hynix Inc's Piotroski F-Score?

8 of 9, as of 2026-09-18. The F-Score counts nine binary fundamental-strength signals across profitability, leverage and operating efficiency.

What does SK Hynix Inc's Beneish M-Score indicate?

-2.39 — below the −1.78 manipulation-risk threshold, as of 2026-09-18. The M-Score screens reported earnings for statistical manipulation patterns; it is a screen, not an accusation.

Mentioned on Closelook

Where 000660.KS appears in the diary — 15 pieces, newest first. Every link is our own writing.

Go deeper

Where to Invest in the AI Chip Constraint ChainDossier · $29 one-time, or included in C+

Long reads

Where to Invest in the AI Chip Constraint ChainDossier · $29 · 3 Mar 2026One structural update since publication: SK Hynix now also trades in the US as SKHY after its July 2026 Nasdaq ADR listing.
AI Economy — Three Futures for 2030, and the One the Model Leaves OutReport · 14 Sept 2026The capital stock that the extreme scenario needs — 56% above its no-AI path by 2030, 14% in the substantial case — is being ordered now, and the ordering is itself a demand shock the model does not carry: Alphabet’s…
Nvidia Ecosystem — Wave 1: The ‘Stacking’ PeakReport · 20 Feb 2026SK Hynix 000660.KS 0.94 Correlation Tier I Classification 2026/27 Peak Role HBM4 Market Leader Why Primary yield leader for 16-layer HBM4 stacks.

101 and glossary

Memory Wall & HBM Economics: The Next AI Constraint101Only two companies can produce HBM at scale: SK Hynix and Micron (Samsung is catching up but trailing).
NVIDIA Investor's Timeline: Hopper to Blackwell to Rubin and Beyond101Companies that benefited from Hopper ramp (TSMC CoWoS, SK Hynix HBM3) are now looking at Blackwell and Rubin for growth.

Dailies

Yen — the Bank of Japan hikes and the dollar holds 157: the carry trade pays, the lines held, chips +3.4% over $505Morning 10 · 18 Sept 2026This morning Tokyo Electron is +4.2% in Tokyo, the Nikkei +1.6% at 65,159, the Kospi +2.8% with SK Hynix +6.0%, the Taiex +1.9%; US futures +0.3%.
Rates — Fed day at a 5% 10-year: the hike is priced, the cycle is not; Yardeni cuts the S&P target to 7,900Morning 10 · 16 Sept 2026Overnight Asia is green — Kospi +0.7%, SK Hynix +2.6%, Samsung +1.3%, Taiex +0.7%, Nikkei +0.3%, SoftBank −1.9% — and the futures are flat; Brent $108.16, gold $4,364, the yen 155.3 with the Bank of Japan expected to hike to 1.25% on…
AI trade — sellers of compute sold, buyers bought: chips −5.6%, software +5%, SoftBank +7% in TokyoMorning 10 · 15 Sept 2026Overnight Asia is calmer than Monday — the Kospi −1.2%, SK Hynix −0.9%, TSMC unchanged — and SoftBank has bounced 7% in Tokyo after Monday’s 11% fall.
AI trade — the labs ask for a slowdown: Kospi −3.3%, SoftBank −11%, Nasdaq futures −1.2%, oil back above $106Morning 10 · 14 Sept 2026Three frontier labs on one page is a new fact, and Asia traded it as a demand story for the physical layer: the Kospi lost 3.3% to 6,679 with SK Hynix −6.7% and Samsung −4.0%, SoftBank — OpenAI’s largest outside backer — fell 11.3% in…
Oil settles at $107.63, the 10-year hits 4.95% and the 30-year 5.36%, its highest since 2007: chips lead a fourth down day, Oracle beats and jumps 4% after hours, Adobe beats and slips — and Asia sells its chipmakers 3% to 7%Morning 10 · 11 Sept 2026Asia sells the chips it bought on Thursday: Nikkei −2.0% to 63,971 after −2.8% intraday, Advantest −6.8%, Kioxia −7.0%, Lasertec −5.0%, SoftBank −4.2%; Kospi 6,923, −1.6%, after a 6,859 low, Samsung −3.3%, SK hynix −1.7%; Taiwan −1.6%…
Brent closes above $100 for the first time since July and the 10-year hits 4.86%: Wall Street falls a third day while Cloudflare +10%, Datadog +7% and Meta +7% catch the money the chip leaders gave backMorning 10 · 10 Sept 2026Asia is selling the oil, not the chips: the Kospi fell more than 1% in the morning and has clawed back to 7,043, SK hynix +0.2%, Advantest +2.7%, the Nikkei −0.4%, Hong Kong −1.3% with Alibaba −3.2%, Australia −1.4%.
Oil knocks on $100 and Wall Street sells everything but the AI pipe: Intel +9%, Lumentum +11%, Dow −1.2% — Seoul buys the dip and the Kospi is back above 7,000Morning 10 · 9 Sept 2026Asia took the chips and left the rest: the Kospi is up 1.2% at 7,038 with SK hynix +3.1%, the Nikkei is down 0.3% with Advantest −3.3% and SoftBank +3.2% on a $10–20 billion bond plan, and China’s producer prices rose 3.8%, the most in…
The trade flips at midday: chips fade, software bounces — Meta +6%, Cloudflare +9%, Datadog +6% while oil holds $101 and the 10-year hits 4.85%Midday 10 · 9 Sept 2026Asia held its leg of the trade: Kospi closes 7,068, SK hynix ADR at a record, Furukawa Electric +13% in Tokyo