Funds Flooding into Stock Market... Investor Deposits Surpass 100 Trillion Won for the First Time (Update)

Investor Deposits Surge by 12 Trillion Won This Year
Flood of Funds Pouring into the Market on Hopes of Further Gains
KOSPI and KOSDAQ Uptrend Expected to Drive Deposits Even Higher

On the 28th, when the KOSPI index surpassed the 5100 mark for the first time during trading hours, dealers were working in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung-gu, Seoul. On the same day, the KOSDAQ index broke through the 1100 mark during trading hours, and the won-dollar exchange rate started trading at 1431 won, down 15.2 won from the previous trading day. 2026.1.28 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

With the domestic stock market surging day after day, funds waiting to be invested in the market have soared, surpassing 100 trillion won for the first time ever.

According to the Korea Financial Investment Association on January 28, investor deposits stood at 100.2826 trillion won as of the previous day. This marks the first time that investor deposits have exceeded 100 trillion won.

Investor deposits refer to funds that customers have entrusted to securities firms, which can be injected into the stock market at any time. Typically, when the stock market rises, investor deposits also increase.

At the end of last year, investor deposits amounted to 87.829 trillion won, but have surged by more than 12 trillion won so far this year. At the beginning of last year, investor deposits were in the 57 trillion won range, nearly doubling in just about one year and one month.

The primary reason cited is that the Korean stock market has recorded the highest growth in the world last year and this year. The KOSPI index first surpassed the 4,000-point mark on October 27 of last year, and in just three months, closed above 5,000 points for the first time as of the previous day's closing price. As of the previous day, the KOSPI's growth rate for this year is 21%, ranking first among the world's top 20 economies (G20). The gap is significant compared to runner-up T?rkiye (17%), third-place Brazil (11%), and fourth-place South Africa (8%).

Improved performance and rising stock prices of semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are cited as key factors behind the KOSPI reaching 5,000 points. With the continued rise of the U.S. stock market and growing expectations for artificial intelligence (AI), it is widely expected that the KOSPI will continue to set new record highs.

The KOSDAQ index is also likely to continue its upward trend, backed by the government's market revitalization policies. President Lee Jaemyung reportedly proposed achieving KOSDAQ 3,000 as the next goal during a luncheon with the Democratic Party's "KOSPI 5000 Special Committee" on January 22. Since then, the KOSDAQ index has also been on a sharp upward trajectory.