S. Korea's direct financing rises 7.6 pct in H1

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean companies' direct financing rose 7.6
percent in the first half from a year earlier as more firms sold bonds to raise
funds amid low interest rates, the financial watchdog said Friday.

Local companies raised 66.6 trillion won (US$53.3 billion) by floating stocks and
bonds in the January-June period, compared with 61.9 trillion won the previous
year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.
In June, local firms raised 12 trillion won, up 23.8 percent from the previous
month, it added.
The rise in direct financing came as record-low interest rates prompted more
companies to tap the debt market and they issued more shares amid the stock
market's rallies, the watchdog said.
In the first half, debt sales jumped 73.8 percent on-year to 47.6 trillion won,
while stock floating came to 3.5 trillion won in the cited period, up 23.9
percent from a year ago.
The country's key stock index climbed 23.6 percent during the first six months of
this year.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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