SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's institutional investment in foreign securities hit a record high last year on the back of stock market booms in major economies, central bank data showed Friday.
Outstanding investment in foreign securities, including foreign stocks and bonds owned by local financial institutions, came to 420.33 billion U.S. dollars at the end of December in 2024, up 8.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea.
It continued to grow for the second straight year, marking the highest on the global stock market booms.
The institutional holdings of foreign stocks gained 29.3 billion dollars last year, while the ownership of foreign bonds increased 1.29 billion dollars.
The holdings of Korean Paper, which refers to the foreign currency-denominated bonds issued overseas by domestic institutions and companies, swelled 1.99 billion dollars in the cited period.
Foreign securities owned by asset managers, insurers, securities firms and foreign exchange banks all gained ground last year. ■