Funds held by domestic investors for stock purchases fell from 139.6948 trillion Korean won on June 4 to 97.4938 trillion won on September 17, a decline of more than 40 trillion won in about three months. The outflow followed the KOSPI’s June peak, a major correction and subsequent range-bound trading. At the same time, term-deposit balances at the five major banks rose for a fourth consecutive month to 1,010.3722 trillion won on September 17, as commercial-bank deposit rates climbed into the mid-3% annual range. The shift reflects weaker retail sentiment toward domestic stocks and stronger demand for products offering definite returns. However, domestic credit transaction loans, or borrowing from securities firms to buy stocks, increased from 28.935 trillion won at the end of July to 33.073 trillion won on September 17. That combination of declining cash balances and rising leveraged investment has raised concerns about the market’s supply-demand fundamentals, particularly as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix may complete their share buybacks as early as mid-October.