Foreign investors net buyers of Korean stocks for 3rd straight month

Foreign investors bought more South Korean stocks and bonds in January, extending their buying spree to three months.

The Financial Supervisory Service of Korea said on Thursday that foreigners bought a net 3,353 billion won ($2.51 billion) of listed stocks last month. They invested 809 billion won ($607 million) in listed bonds.

As of the end of last month, foreigners held 704 trillion won ($528 billion) of listed stocks. That was 27.6% of the total market value.

They purchased a net 3,567 billion won ($2.67 billion) of stocks on the main Kospi market and sold a net 214 billion won ($160 million) on the smaller Kosdaq market.

By country, the UK($2.4 billion) and the US ($525 million) recorded net buying, while Saudi Arabia ($900 million) and Luxembourg ($375 million) showed net selling.

In the bond market, foreigners net-purchased 3,427 billion won ($2.57 billion) in listed bonds, and received 2,618 billion won ($1.96 billion) in maturing bonds, resulting in a total net investment of 809 billion won ($607 million).

They made net investments in government bonds ($450 million) and monetary stabilization bonds ($150 million). Foreigners held 245.4 trillion won ($184 billion) in listed bond market capitalization, which accounts for 9.8% of the total.

Write to Han-Gyeol Seon at always@hankyung.com