Direct financing by South Korean companies fell 7.3 percent last year as woes over the Fed's tapering and a liquidity crisis in the corporate sector drove up bond yields, making it harder for firms to raise money via bond sales, the financial watchdog said Wednesday. Local companies raised a combined 121.49 trillion won (US$112 billion) last year by selling stocks and bonds, compared with 131.06 trillion won the previous year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).