TechFlow news, January 2 — According to the Financial Times, South Korean retail investors are flocking to the U.S. stock market, betting on further gains under a potential second Trump presidency, while expressing frustration over years of poor performance in their domestic equity market.
Data from the Korea Securities Depository shows that by the end of 2024, South Korean investors' holdings in U.S. stocks reached a record high of $112.1 billion, up 65% year-on-year. Meanwhile, South Korean retail investors net sold approximately 5.4 trillion won ($3.6 billion) worth of KOSPI index stocks in 2024.
Tech stocks have become the top choice for South Korean overseas investments, with Tesla leading at $24.5 billion, followed by NVIDIA ($12.1 billion), Apple ($4.9 billion), and Microsoft ($3.2 billion). Namuh Rhee, head of the Forum for Corporate Governance in Korea, said this trend stems from dissatisfaction with returns in the local market and is likely to continue amid expectations of Trump's return to the White House.
