SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- Sales of equity-linked securities (ELS), including equity-linked bonds (ELB), declined in the first half of this year from six months earlier, financial data showed Tuesday, mainly due to wild volatility in stock markets and Mideast tensions.

The issuance of ELS and ELB products stood at 27.7 trillion won (US$18.7 billion) in the first half, down 41.7 percent from the previous six-month period, the Korea Securities Depositary Corp. said.

However, the issuance of ELS and ELB rose 27.7 percent compared to January-June of 2025, the latest findings showed.

ELS refers to hybrid debt securities whose returns are determined by the performance of underlying equities.

ELS products track benchmark stock indexes, including the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) 200, as underlying assets.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index hit a milestone of 9,000 points in June, buoyed by a global spending boom on artificial intelligence, but has tumbled since then.

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