BLACKPINK Comeback Speculation Leads to Drop in YG Shares Amid Overall K-Pop Stock Decline

K-pop stocks’ mediocre showing highlighted different down week for euphony stocks. For the week ended Oct. 17, South Korean companies were a large crushed wherefore losers outnumbered winners. 

The 19-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) fell 0.5% to 2,885.17. The three-year-old BGMI past posted 4 consecutive weeks of declines successful July and August 2024. The scale besides suffered 4 consecutive down weeks successful July and August 2023. Even aft dropping 7.0% implicit the past 4 weeks, the index’s year-to-date summation stands astatine 33.8% — much than treble the 2025 gains of the Nasdaq composite and S&P 500. 

Music stocks underperformed immoderate large indexes, though results were mixed globally. In the U.S., the Nasdaq composite scale roseate 2.1% to 22,679.97 and the S&P 500 gained 1.7% to 6,664.01. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 fell 0.8% to 9,354.57. South Korea’s KOSPI composite scale jumped 3.8% to 3,748.89 and deed a grounds precocious connected Thursday (Oct. 16) aft the International Monetary Fund raised its maturation forecast for South Korea and the U.S. appeared adjacent to wrapping up a commercialized woody with the Asian country. China’s Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.5% to 3,839.76. 

Bucking the KOSPI’s upward trend, YG Entertainment fell 9.6% to 90,000 KRW ($63.30) aft the company, reacting to South Korean media reports that BLACKPINK volition merchandise caller euphony earlier the extremity of the year, stated that nary determination astir the group’s comeback has been made. Earlier successful the week, Hana Securities raised its terms people connected YG by 12% to 145,000 KRW ($101.99). YG Entertainment shares are up 95.9% successful 2025, third-best among euphony stocks down Netease Cloud Music (up 117.1%) and Tencent Music Entertainment (up 100.5%).

Three different K-pop stocks besides posted losses. SM Entertainment, which fell 7.8% to 116,400 KRW ($81.87), has dropped 23.9% successful the past 4 weeks, though it’s inactive up 60.3% twelvemonth to date. JYP Entertainment declined 4.5% to 71,700 KRW ($50.43), bringing its year-to-date summation to 5.8%. HYBE slipped 1.1% to 269,500 KRW ($189.56), though shares person risen 34.1% this twelvemonth and stand to emergence adjacent more erstwhile BTS returns from its three-year hiatus with caller euphony and a planetary tour. 

Music streamer LiveOne was the week’s top gainer, rising 13.1% to $4.50. On Tuesday (Oct. 14), the institution announced that it had regained compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirements for minimum stock prices. LiveOne conducted a 10-to-1 reverse banal divided connected Sept. 26, which accrued its stock terms by reducing the fig of outstanding shares.  

Madison Square Garden Entertainment climbed 5.1% to $43.90. Sister institution Sphere Entertainment Co. fell 0.5% to $58.70, astir the aforesaid terms arsenic 5 weeks ago, aft the occurrence of The Wizard of Oz caused the banal to spike 46% implicit 4 weeks. Sphere shares person cooled disconnected since Sept. 12, though, and person fallen 3.7% successful the past 2 weeks. 

Warner Music Group (WMG) roseate 2.8% to $32.99. On Tuesday (Oct. 14), Wells Fargo upgraded WMG shares to “overweight” with a $39 terms target, citing the show of Atlantic Records successful Q3 U.S. marketplace shares reported past week by Billboard. Led by hits from Alex Warren and Twenty One Pilots, and helped by the caller inclusion of 10K Projects’ marketplace share, Atlantic was No. 3 down REPUBLIC and Interscope/Geffen/A&M. 

Live Nation snapped a four-week losing streak, rising 1.5% to $155.19. The performance promoter and ticketing institution volition denote Q3 net connected Nov. 4. 

Universal Music Group roseate 1.9% to 23.60 euros ($27.52). The institution volition denote Q3 net connected Oct. 30. 

Spotify, the BGMI’s astir invaluable component, fell 2.0% to $671.52. The streamin...