SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The monthly purchase by foreign investors of South Korean stocks hit the highest in two and a half years in the first month of this year, financial watchdog data showed Monday.
Foreigners bought a net 3.7 trillion won (3.3 billion U.S. dollars) worth of domestic listed stocks in January, marking the biggest foreign purchase since July 2016, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.
Offshore investors kept a buying streak for the second consecutive month amid expectations for economic recovery in the first month of the new year.
The foreign holdings of local stocks reached 567.2 trillion won (503.8 billion U.S. dollars) as of end-January, taking up 32.3 percent of the total market capitalization.
Meanwhile, foreigners sold a net 1.7 trillion won (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) worth of local listed bonds. Maturing debts, which foreigners did not refinance, amounted to 2.1 trillion won (1.9 billion U.S. dollars).
The foreign ownership of domestic bonds stood at 110.2 trillion won (97.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of end-January, making up 6.4 percent of the total listed bonds.
