- Foreign inflows to South Korea are biggest in Asia after Japan
- Samsung, SK Hynix are among foreign funds’ favorites in 1Q
Bets on artificial intelligence drove the largest quarterly foreign inflow to South Korean shares, contributing to a global rally in AI-related stocks.
Overseas investors bought a net $12.2 billion of local stocks in the first three months of 2024, a total that trails only Japan in Asia, according to Bloomberg-compiled data. Their favorites were the chipmakers active in the global AI supply chain — such as Samsung Electronics Co., which drew $4.1 billion, and SK Hynix Inc., which attracted $1.3 billion.