Foreign investors remain net buyers of S. Korean shares for 9th month in July

Foreign investors remained net buyers of South Korean shares for the ninth consecutive month in July, data showed Tuesday. Foreigners net purchased 2.49 trillion won (US$1.82 billion) worth of local listed stocks last month, following their net purchase of 2.9 trillion won the previous month, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. As of end-July, their holdings of local stocks came to 852.7 trillion won, accounting for 30.1 percent of total market capitalization, slightly up from 30 percent a month earlier. By nation, investors from Britain net bought 1.3 trillion won worth of local shares, followed by German investors with 500 billion won, while those from Australia net sold 500 billion won. Meanwhile, offshore investors net sold 368 billion won worth of local bonds in July, becoming net sellers for a second consecutive month. Their cumulative bond holdings stood at 252 trillion won as of end-July, accounting for 9.8 percent of all listed bonds. Source: Yonhap News Agency