Foreign Currency Securities Settlement Value Reaches New High Last Year

The Korea Securities Depository announced on Jan. 29 that South Korean investors’ foreign currency securities settlement value hit an all-time high of US$171.22 billion with a year-on-year increase of 56 percent last year. The value reached a record high in 2017 and 2018 as well. Specifically, it was US$91.7 billion in 2017 and US$109.72 billion in 2018.

Last year, their foreign currency stock settlement value increased 25.8 percent to US$40.98 billion and foreign currency bond settlement value increased 68.8 percent to US$130.23 billion. The Euro market accounted for 59.3 percent of the total value, followed by the United States, Hong Kong, China and Japan. The five regions represented 98.8 percent of the total value.
 

The foreign currency stock settlement value in Amazon fell 29.9 percent year on year to US$1.64 billion. Those in Microsoft, Alphabet, Nvidia, Apple and Tesla are US$960 million, US$660 million, US$580 million, US$520 million and US$480 million, respectively.

Last year, their foreign currency securities in custody also hit an all-time high of US$43.62 billion, up 20.2 percent from a year ago. The foreign currency stocks in custody increased 46.9 percent to US$14.45 billion and the foreign currency bonds in custody increased 10.2 percent to US$29.16 billion.