"Foreign Investors Sell Nearly 14 Trillion Won in Korean Stocks in April... 9 Consecutive Months of Outflows"

Foreign investors recorded net sales of nearly 14 trillion won in domestic stocks in April this year.

According to the "Trends in Foreign Securities Investment in April 2025" released by the Financial Supervisory Service on the 16th, foreign investors recorded net sales of 13.592 trillion won in listed stocks last month on a settlement basis. This marks nine consecutive months of capital outflows since August last year. By market, net sales amounted to 12.32 trillion won in KOSPI and 1.272 trillion won in KOSDAQ, respectively.

By region, Europe recorded the largest net sales, totaling 10.083 trillion won. This was followed by the Americas (1.611 trillion won) and Asia (79.8 billion won). By country, the United Kingdom led with net sales of 8.947 trillion won, followed by the United States (1.463 trillion won) and Singapore (788 billion won). In contrast, Ireland recorded the largest net purchases at 93 billion won, followed by Norway (75 billion won) and the Virgin Islands (55 billion won).

As of the end of April, foreign investors held 707.074 trillion won in listed stocks, accounting for 26.5% of the total market capitalization. By country, the United States accounted for the largest share, holding 284.503 trillion won, which represents 40.2% of all foreign holdings. The United Kingdom (82.418 trillion won), Singapore (51.57 trillion won), and Luxembourg (34.981 trillion won) followed.

In contrast, foreign investors recorded net investments in bonds for the third consecutive month. Last month, they made net purchases of 15.505 trillion won in listed bonds and received 4.246 trillion won in redemptions at maturity, resulting in a total net investment of 11.259 trillion won.

By region, Europe recorded the largest net investment at 5.256 trillion won, followed by Asia with 4.205 trillion won. In contrast, the Americas saw a net withdrawal of 480 billion won. In terms of holdings, Asia had the largest amount at 130.2 trillion won, followed by Europe at 100.4 trillion won.

By type, foreign investors mainly invested in government bonds (11.2 trillion won) and monetary stabilization bonds (2 trillion won).

By remaining maturity, foreign investors recorded net investments in all categories: more than 5 years (3.2 trillion won), 1 to 5 years (6.5 trillion won), and less than 1 year (1.6 trillion won). As of the end of last month, foreign investors held 67.9 trillion won (23.5%) in bonds with less than 1 year remaining maturity, 93.1 trillion won (32.2%) in bonds with 1 to 5 years remaining, and 128.5 trillion won (44.4%) in bonds with more than 5 years remaining.