S. Korean investments in overseas securities rebound in Q2

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korean investments in overseas securities
rebounded in the second quarter as the value of institutional investors'
shareholdings rose on the bullish global stock market, the central bank said
Monday.
Institutional investors' investments in foreign stocks, bonds and so-called
Korean Paper reached an outstanding $65.53 billion as of the end of June, up 26
percent from three months earlier and marking the first rise since the fourth
quarter of 2007, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
Korean Paper refers to foreign-currency-denominated securities issued by the
South Korean government, financial institutions or companies abroad.
"The rebound came as investment in overseas securities rose because the global
financial rout has eased and prospects for an economic recovery have been lifted
since March," the BOK said. "Furthermore, the value of their shareholdings gained
in tandem with rising global share prices in the second quarter."
Investments in foreign stocks rose 42.4 percent on-quarter to $35.85 billion as
of end-June. Investments in bonds inched up 1.5 percent to $14.59 billion, it
added.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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