The net purchases of foreign investors in Samsung Electronics stocks reach an all-time high.

According to data from the stock market yesterday, net purchases of shares in Samsung Electronics reached an all-time high last year. This comes amid growing expectations of a recovery in the semiconductor industry.

According to data from the Korea Exchange (KRX), foreign investors recorded a net purchase of 16.7 trillion won ($12.9 billion) worth of shares in Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this is the highest net purchase value of Samsung Electronics’ stocks since the Korea Stock Exchange began collecting data in 1999.

For the first time in four years, foreigners have turned to net buying of Samsung Electronics stocks, which is the largest stock in terms of market value on the main Kospi exchange. Foreigners recorded net sales during the period between 2020 and 2022.

As a result, foreigners owned 53.9% of Samsung Electronics shares in 2023, an increase from 49.6% in 2022.

According to Noh Jong-hwan, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities, foreigners have placed their bets on Samsung Electronics thanks to positive expectations of a transformation in the semiconductor industry.

Samsung Electronics shares rose for seven consecutive days to close at a yearly high of 78,500 won last Thursday, which was the last trading day in 2023.

At the same time, foreigners purchased 2.8 trillion wons worth of shares in “SK Hynix”, the second largest memory chip manufacturer, last year, up from a net purchase of 833 billion wons in 2022.