State pension's return from stock investment falls behind KOSPI growth

SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top institutional investor, the National Pension Service (NPS), saw its earnings from stock investment this year fall behind the growth of the main bourse, market watchers said Sunday.

According to the data compiled by market tracker FnGuide, the NPS saw its average returns from stock investment reach 16.91 percent this year as of end-November. The research was conducted on 275 listed firms in which the state pension held 5 percent stakes or more.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the secondary KOSDAQ posted 22.15 percent and 24.75 percent growth this year, respectively.

The latest findings showed share prices of 85 firms lost ground, with that of I Controls, an information technology firm listed on the main bourse, falling a whopping 43.09 percent. The NPS holds a 11.55 percent stake in the firm.

Shares of Samwha Capacitor, on the other hand, moved up a whopping 257.94 percent on the main bourse this year, lending support to the state pension, which holds a stake of 9.71 percent in the company.

colin@yna.co.kr
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