U.S.-based investors had bought the largest amount of South Korean stocks over the past six years on the back of the Federal Reserve’s three rounds of so-called quantitative easing that ended last month, data showed on Monday.

According to the data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service and the bourse operator, the Korea Exchange, U.S. investors had bought a net 35.83 trillion won ($33.28 billion) between March 2009 and September this year, taking up half of 69.73 trillion won worth of total foreign buying during the cited period.

The U.S. Fed has started its first round of QE in early 2009, in the wake of the global financial crisis sparked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and terminated its third and last round of the bond-purchasing scheme last month.

During the period, Chinese investors scooped up a net 9.1 trillion won worth of South Korean stocks, the second-largest amount. Investors from Ireland came in next with 4.58 trillion won, followed by Luxembourg with 4.56 trillion won and Japan with 2.53 trillion won, according to the data.

In contrast, investors from Britain unloaded a net 12.15 trillion won over the cited period, they showed.

Foreign investors have been selling local stocks recently out of fears that the Fed may accelerate its moves to raise federal fund rates.

Since Sept. 18, foreign investors have sold over net 3 trillion won of South Korean stocks.

(Yonhap)