Foreign Investors Post Net Sale of 98 Billion Won in Korean Stocks in January...Turn to "Sell" in Just One Month

Trends in Foreign Securities Investment This Year

Last month, foreign investors turned net sellers for the first time in a month, recording a net sale of 98 billion won in domestically listed stocks. In contrast, they continued to be net buyers of listed bonds for the third consecutive month.

On Feb. 12, as the KOSPI opened after breaking its intraday record high, a staff member in the dealing room at the Seoul head office of Hana Bank monitored the stock market and exchange rates. The KOSPI index opened at 5,425.39, up 70.90 points (1.32%) from the previous session. 2026.2.12 Cho Yongjun, Reporter

According to the Financial Supervisory Service's report titled "Trends in Foreign Securities Investment in January 2026" released on Feb. 13, foreign investors posted a net sale of 98 billion won in listed stocks last month. They recorded net purchases of 361 billion won on the KOSPI market, but net sales of 459 billion won on the KOSDAQ market.

As of last month, foreign investors held a total of 2,031.9 trillion won in listed securities. At the end of the month, they held 1,701.4 trillion won in listed stocks, equivalent to about 32.0% of the total market capitalization. Their holdings of listed bonds stood at 330.5 trillion won, accounting for 11.9% of the total listed balance.

By region, in the case of listed stocks, Europe (630 billion won) and Asia (140 billion won) were net buyers, while the Americas (810 billion won) and the Middle East (90 billion won) were net sellers. By country, Ireland (230 billion won) and the United Kingdom (180 billion won) were net buyers, while the United States (780 billion won) and Qatar (60 billion won) were net sellers.

In terms of listed stock holdings, the United States held 698.1 trillion won, accounting for 41.0% of total foreign holdings. It was followed by Europe with 537.8 trillion won (31.6%), Asia with 234.0 trillion won (13.8%), and the Middle East with 29.9 trillion won (1.8%).

Regarding listed bonds, foreign investors continued to be net buyers for the third consecutive month. The net investment in listed bonds last month amounted to 3.557 trillion won.

By region, for listed bonds, Asia (2.6 trillion won) and the Americas (900 billion won) were net investors, while the Middle East (42 billion won) and other regions were net redeemers. In terms of holdings, Asia (138.1 trillion won, 41.8%) and Europe (121.7 trillion won, 36.8%) accounted for large shares. By bond type, foreign investors made net purchases of 6 trillion won in government bonds and net redemptions of 2.1 trillion won in Monetary Stabilization Bonds, resulting in government bond holdings of 301.5 trillion won and special bond holdings of 28.9 trillion won.

By remaining maturity, foreign investors made net purchases of 3.9 trillion won in bonds with maturities of five years or longer and 3.1 trillion won in bonds with maturities of one year to less than five years, while they made net redemptions of 3.4 trillion won in bonds with maturities of less than one year. In terms of bond holdings, bonds with maturities of five years or longer amounted to 137.9 trillion won, accounting for 41.7% of the total, followed by those with maturities of one year to less than five years at 121.6 trillion won (36.8%) and those with maturities of less than one year at 70.9 trillion won (21.5%).