National Pension Service fund assets drop 181 trillion won in July

The National Pension Service (NPS) experienced a significant decline in fund assets and investment returns during July due to a simultaneous correction in domestic and international stock markets.

According to data from the NPS Fund Management Division, the total fund reserves dropped by approximately 181.4 trillion won (9.7%), falling from 1,865.6 trillion won at the end of June to 1,684.2 trillion won by the end of July. The year-to-date investment return rate also saw a sharp decrease, falling from 27.22% to 14.84%.

Domestic equities were the primary driver of this decline, with the valuation of domestic stock holdings decreasing by 124.6 trillion won (22.9%) in a single month. Overseas equity valuations also fell by approximately 37 trillion won. While returns decreased, the NPS noted that its domestic stock returns still outperformed the market, maintaining a year-to-date return of 60.11% compared to the KOSPI's 56.51%.