SEOUL — Data released on Thursday showed that foreign investors sold a net 1.71 trillion won (US$1.26 billion) worth of South Korean stocks in September, marking a second consecutive month of net selling.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), foreign investors owned 663.7 trillion won in local stocks, accounting for 26.7 percent of total market capitalization, a slight decline from 26.9 percent at the end of August. The United States emerged as the top net buyer, purchasing 1.2 trillion won worth of shares, followed by Canada with a net purchase of 600 billion won.
British investors were the top net sellers, offloading 3 trillion won worth of stocks, followed by Switzerland with a net sale of 700 billion won. The United States also maintained its position as the biggest holder of South Korean stocks, holding 274.3 trillion won, which accounts for 41.3 percent of all local shares held by foreign investors as of the end of September.
Additionally, foreign investors sold a net 600 billion won from the local bond market in September, with their cumulative holdings amounting to 242.4 trillion won, or 9.8 percent of listed bonds.