Key facts
- Foreign investors sold a net 19.11 trillion won ($14.25 billion) of Korean stocks in September.
- UK investors were the top sellers with 6.9 trillion won in net sales.
- US investors sold a net 3.9 trillion won of Korean stocks.
- Foreign investors bought a net 127 billion won of Korean bonds in September.
Foreign investors resumed net selling of South Korean stocks in September, offloading 19.11 trillion won ($14.25 billion) after a brief period of net purchases in August. This shift is attributed to ongoing geopolitical risks and concerns regarding the profitability of artificial intelligence investments. The data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) also indicated that offshore investors' total holdings of local stocks amounted to 2,296 trillion won, representing 34.8% of the market capitalization. Investors from the United Kingdom led the selling, with net sales of 6.9 trillion won, followed by those from the United States, who sold 3.9 trillion won. In the bond market, foreign investors were net buyers, purchasing 127 billion won worth of local debt, bringing their total holdings to 322.9 trillion won, or 11.2% of listed bonds.