Seoul: Corporate direct financing in the Republic of Korea increased 8.4 percent from a year earlier in the first half, Yonhap News Agency quoted data as showing.
According to Emirates News Agency, local companies raised a combined 149.93 trillion won (US$108 billion) in the first six months by selling stocks and bonds, marking an increase of 11.61 trillion won from the same period a year earlier, based on data from the Financial Supervisory Service.
The data further revealed that stock sales experienced a decline, falling by 842 billion won, or 16.6 percent, on-year to 4.23 trillion won in the January-June period. This decline was partly attributed to a 7.5 percent dip in share sales via initial public offerings (IPOs), which amounted to 1.45 trillion won over the cited period.
In contrast, corporate bond sales saw a significant increase, spiking 36 percent, or 12.45 trillion won, to reach 145.69 trillion won.
Moreover, the value of outstanding corporate bonds stood at 702.21 trillion won as of the end of June, representing an increase of 44 trillion won, or 6.7 percent, from the previous year, as highlighted by the data.