Net foreign selling in S. Korea hits all

South Korea's Main Stock Market Sees Record Foreign Net Selling

The Korea Exchange has reported a fresh monthly high in net foreign selling in South Korea's main stock market for November, despite individual investors remaining net buyers.

Foreign Investors Post Record Net Selling

• Net foreign selling in South Korea's main stock market reached a record high of 14.4 trillion won (US$9.8 billion) in November.
• This surpasses the previous record of 12.5 trillion won set in March 2020.
• Foreigners purchased a net 7.4 trillion won and 5.3 trillion won worth of local shares in September and October, respectively, but turned to net sellers in November.

Reasons Behind Foreign Investors' Selling

Insiders believe that fading expectations for a U.S. rate cut at the Federal Reserve's December meeting and escalating uncertainties surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) technologies led to a decrease in foreign investors' appetite for risky assets.

Top Stocks Sold by Foreign Investors

• SK hynix shares: a net 8.7 trillion won
• Samsung Electronics stocks: a net 2.2 trillion won
• Doosan Enerbility: 787 billion won
• Naver: 606 billion won
• KB Financial Group: 558 billion won

Individual Investors' Buying Activity

Individual investors scooped up a net 9.2 trillion won in November, marking the third-largest monthly net buying on record.

• Top pick: SK hynix, purchasing a net 5.9 trillion won this month
• Top picks: Doosan Enerbility, Naver, Samsung Epis Holdings

KOSPI Volatility

The KOSPI saw wide volatility in November, hitting an all-time high of 4,221.87 points on the first trading day of the month before closing at 3,926.59 on Nov. 28.