SEOUL, Sept 13 (NNN-YONHAP) – Foreign investors sold South Korean stocks for four straight months in Aug, on worry about the COVID-19 resurgence here, financial watchdog data showed today.
Foreigners offloaded a net 7.82 trillion won (6.7 billion U.S. dollars) worth of domestic stocks in Aug, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).
The foreign selling continued for the fourth consecutive month, as the COVID-19 resurged here since early July.
In the latest tally, the country’s daily number of COVID-19 cases was 1,433, staying above 1,000 for 69 days running.
The foreign holdings of local stocks accounted for 28.9 percent of the total market capitalisation last month.
In the domestic bond market, overseas investors purchased a net 7.33 trillion won (6.2 billion U.S. dollars) worth of listed bonds in Aug.
Given the maturing debt worth 5.64 trillion won (4.8 billion U.S. dollars), net investment in local bonds amounted to 1.69 trillion won (1.4 billion U.S. dollars), last month.
Foreign ownership of domestic bonds reached 197.1 trillion won (167.9 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of Aug, taking up 8.9 percent of the total listed bonds.– NNN-YONHAP
