Alternative investment funds post sharp growth

The size of funds that invest in real estate and nontraditional assets has topped the 100 trillion-won ($89 billion) mark as investors poured money into alternative vehicles seeking stable returns, industry data showed Sunday.According to the data compiled by the Korea Financial Investment Association, real estate funds and special asset funds with exposure to commodities, weather, artworks and other alternative investment vehicles had 103.92 trillion won worth of assets under management as of W

May 28, 2017

Shares of Hyundai Heavy, shipbuilders rise on recovery hope, oil prices

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and other major shipyards have seen their stock prices continue to build up gains hitting yearly highs on expectations that the shipbuilding sector is on a recovery track, analysts said Sunday.Hyundai Heavy closed at 179,500 won ($160) on the Seoul bourse on Friday, marking a yearly high, with its smaller rival Samsung Heavy Industries Co. finishing at 12,500 won, also hitting a 52-week high. The rise comes on expectations of rising oil prices and overall trade spurr

May 28, 2017

Seoul shares to maintain upward move next week on sound economic data

South Korean stocks are expected to continue to build up gains next week on the back of strong economic data, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,355.30 on Friday, up 2.9 percent from the previous week, renewing its all-time high.On Monday, South Korean shares breached the 2,300-point mark for the first time ever as foreign investors scooped up major tech stocks amid sound corporate earnings.The index continued to set fresh record highs this week, m

May 27, 2017

Seoul stocks sets another record for 5th consecutive session

South Korean shares extended their winning streak to end at a new record high Friday on the back of improved investors' sentiment on gains from the Wall Street, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 12.37 points, or 0.53 percent, to reach an all-time high of 2,355.30. Trade volume was moderate at 309.17 million shares worth 6.03 trillion won ($5.38 billion), with advancers far outnumbering losers 499 to 307.It also marks th

May 26, 2017

KB Kookmin Bank sells $400m in bonds in Taiwan

South Korea's top lender KB Kookmin Bank said Friday that it has successfully issued $400 million worth of bonds in Taiwan, becoming the first local bank to do so.The Formosa bonds will mature in five years and carry a floating rate with the spread set at 0.95 percentage point plus the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate, a benchmark interest rate in the global financial market, the bank said. Formosa bonds refer to bonds issued in Taiwan but denominated in a currency other than the Taiwan

May 26, 2017

Foreign investors’ daily trading hits record

The average daily stock trading by foreign investors reached nearly 2 trillion won ($1.78 billion) this month, the highest ever in recorded history, according to the Korea Exchange on Friday. In the past 25 days, the average trading value by foreigners for Korean stocks has been 1.99 trillion won, marking the highest value recorded since the Korea Composite Stock Price Index started collecting foreign investors’ data from April 2005. The previous record was 1.9 trillion won in October 2007

May 26, 2017

Seoul shares up 0.42% in late-morning trade

South Korean stocks traded 0.42 percent higher late Friday morning, led by gains in logistics and tech firms, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.73 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,352.66 as of 11:20 a.m.CJ Logistics climbed 1.3 percent, and market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.6 percent. In contrast, autos trended lower. Top automaker Hyundai Motor was down 0.6 percent, with its smaller affiliate Kia Motors falling 0.4 percent. The local currency was ch

May 26, 2017

Seoul shares open tad higher after rally

South Korean stocks opened with a marginal gain on Friday, taking a breather from the previous session's rally that hit an all-time high, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was up 0.91 point, or 0.04 percent to trade at 2,343.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading.The main index closed at a record high on Thursday, fueled by the rate freeze of the central bank, which hinted at an upward adjustment of its growth outlook from the current forecast of 2.6 percent, citing r

May 26, 2017

Stock-related floating money rises steadily amid uncertainty

Money floating around the South Korean stock market has grown steadily this year as investors park funds in short-term equity-related vehicles amid financial uncertainty and a recent market rally, data showed Friday.The amount of money sitting idle around the local equity market came to 298 trillion won ($266 billion) as of Thursday, up 12.4 percent from the end of 2016, according to the data by the Korea Financial Investment Association. The figure includes 23.6 trillion won in investor deposit

May 26, 2017

NPS to expand stock investment to 45% by 2022

South Korea’s pension behemoth the National Pension Service said it has decided to allocate more funds in stock investment, up to 45 percent of the total fund, by 2022.Currently managing about 563 trillion won ($503 billion) fund, the NPS’ fund management committee decided on the five-year investment portfolio during 2018-2022 in a meeting at a hotel in Seoul, Thursday. According to the latest decision, the nation’s largest institutional investor will expand stock investment fr

May 25, 2017

Kospi carries on record run on world rally

The benchmark index of South Korea‘s main bourse continued its run into an unprecedented high for the fourth straight trading day Thursday, riding on the US market rallies after the release of the US Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at record-high at 2,342.93, rising 1.1 percent compared to Wednesday. The top-tier stock market opened a tad higher at 2,325.49 compared to record closing Wednesday at 2,317.34. The index began to hover at ar

May 25, 2017

Moon’s transition team urges FSC to find new ways to control debt

The head of President Moon Jae-in’s de facto transition team Thursday urged the Financial Services Commission to adopt a new way to curb household debt and speed up liquidation of debt-ridden firms. 　Kim Jin-pyo, chairman of the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, raised the question of the viability of the current measure to tackle what he called “persisting economic woes in the perspectives of pundits and offshore ratings agencies” in a session with the financial regul

May 25, 2017

SC Bank runs promotion for first-time asset management customers

Standard Chartered Bank Korea is holding an appreciation event until the end of May offering Shinsegae mobile gift certificates to all customers who sign up for its asset management services. The bank said that a first-time customer will be given a mobile gift card worth up to 30,000 won ($27) on all asset services that exceed 1 million won.  To qualify for the gift card event, accounts and balances must be maintained until the end of the event date. Money market funds and savings accounts

May 25, 2017

Korean shares up in late morning trade

South Korean shares traded higher late Thursday morning and are poised to close at a fresh record high, as foreign and institutional buyers scooped up market heavyweights amid upward momentum, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index sharply gained 21.88 points, or 0.94 percent, to 2,339.22 as of 11:20 a.m.Large caps on the Seoul bourse were mostly bullish, with telecom and steel shares leading the gains.Market behemoth Samsung Electronics increased 1.07 percent, and major c

May 25, 2017

Dividend payouts to foreign investors up 18.9% in 2016

Dividend payouts by South Korean listed firms to foreign investors rose 18.9 percent on year last year, data showed Thursday, in a move that could help offshore investors regain confidence in the nation's stock market. Companies whose fiscal year ends on Dec. 31 made a total of 8.79 trillion won ($7.78 billion) in dividend payments to foreign investors, according to the data by the Korea Securities Depository.  The Kospi market paid 8.64 trillion won in dividends to foreign investors, while

May 25, 2017

Seoul shares open higher on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 6.71 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,324.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading.On Wednesday, US stocks rose to post a five-day winning streak on tech gains. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.4 percent to 21,012.42, and the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.4 percent to 6,163.02.  Large caps on the Seoul bourse were mostly bullish, with teleco

May 25, 2017

Woori Bank introduces robo advisers

Woori Bank has launched an artificial intelligence-based financial adviser, or “robo adviser,” as well as robots built for customer assistance at local branches. The nation’s fourth-largest commercial bank announced Wednesday the AI-based program “Woori Robo-Alpha” will reach out to customers to offer asset management portfolios “tailored to their investment propensity,” starting Wednesday. Woori Robo-Alpha also suggests users balance investment portfoli

May 24, 2017

Kospi ceilingless for 3 consecutive days

The first-tier stock market in South Korea remained ceilingless for three consecutive days Wednesday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,317.34, up 0.24 percent compared to Tuesday closing at a record-high 2,311.74, despite losses in gains from early morning trade.Opening at 2,318.86, the Kospi peaked at 2,322.54 in about 10 minutes -- the highest in history. The index hovered at around 2,315 since late morning trade. The second-tier Korean Securities Dealers Automated Q

May 24, 2017

Seoul stocks hit fresh record high on Wall Street rally

South Korean shares extended their winning streak to a fourth day to end at a fresh record high Wednesday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 5.66 points, or 0.24 percent, to reach an all-time high of 2,317.34. Trade volume was slim at 380.45 million shares worth 5.35 trillion won ($4.8 billion), with advancers outnumbering losers 483 to 323.Institutions bought a net 75.1

May 24, 2017

Finance Ministry poised to propose W10tr supplementary budget next month

The Finance Ministry said Wednesday that the government will release a road map by the end of June on how to create jobs in the public sector, alluding to a 10 trillion won ($8.89 billion) supplementary budget proposal by President Moon Jae-in.In a report to the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, Moon’s de facto transition team, the ministry said that the government would speed up the preparation for the extra budget plan to be presented to the National Assembly by next month. 

May 24, 2017