"Foreign Investors Net Buy 57 Billion Won in Domestic Stocks in August... Four Consecutive Months of Net Buying"

Bonds See First Net Withdrawal in Seven Months
Financial Supervisory Service Releases August Trends in Foreign Securities Investment

Foreign investors continued their buying streak in the domestic listed stock market for the fourth consecutive month in August. In contrast, they shifted to net withdrawals from bonds for the first time in seven months.

According to the "Foreign Securities Investment Trends in August 2025" released by the Financial Supervisory Service on September 12, foreign investors made a net purchase of 57 billion won in listed stocks last month, based on settlement data. By market, they recorded a net sale of 300 billion won in the KOSPI, while making a net purchase of 357 billion won in the KOSDAQ.

By region, there was a net purchase of 1.2 trillion won from the Americas. In contrast, both Asia and Europe saw net sales of 300 billion won each. By country, there was a net purchase of 1.4 trillion won from the United States and 400 billion won from Ireland. On the other hand, there was a net sale of 1.6 trillion won from the United Kingdom and 700 billion won from Australia.

The United States held the largest amount of domestic stocks at 367.4 trillion won, followed by Europe with 282.3 trillion won, Asia with 129.6 trillion won, and the Middle East with 12.2 trillion won.

Last month, foreign investors made a net purchase of 442 billion won in listed bonds. However, they received 504.1 billion won in redemptions at maturity, resulting in a net withdrawal of 62.1 billion won.

By region, Europe and both the Americas and the Middle East each saw net investments of 120 billion won and 60 billion won, respectively. In contrast, Asia experienced a net withdrawal of 240 billion won.

In terms of holdings, Asia held the largest amount at 13.88 trillion won, followed by Europe with 10.97 trillion won.

By type, there was a net withdrawal of 20 billion won in government bonds and 4 billion won in monetary stabilization bonds.

By maturity, there was a net investment of 210 billion won in bonds with maturities of five years or more, and 80 billion won in those with maturities between one and five years. In contrast, there was a net withdrawal of 360 billion won in bonds with maturities of less than one year.

As of the end of last month, foreign investors held 6.59 trillion won in bonds with less than one year remaining to maturity. Additionally, they held 10.49 trillion won in bonds with maturities between one and five years, and 13.59 trillion won in bonds with maturities of five years or more.