Seoul: Foreign investors became net buyers of South Korean stocks in December, data showed Friday. Offshore investors bought a net 1.52 trillion won (US$1.05 billion) worth of local stocks last month, following a net selling of 1.33 trillion won the previous month.
According to Yonhap News Agency, following their net buying in December, offshore investors owned 1,326.8 trillion won worth of local stocks, accounting for 30.8 percent of total market capitalization. By country, investors from France were the top buyers in December, purchasing a net 1 trillion won worth of shares. They were followed by investors from Britain, who net purchased 0.8 trillion won.
In addition to equities, foreign investors were active in the local bond market, purchasing a net 17.53 trillion won worth of local bonds last month. Their holdings of local bonds stood at 328.5 trillion won as of the end of December, representing 11.9 percent of listed bonds in the country.