Seoul shares snap 3-day fall on strong techs, bios; won sharply up

South Korean stocks rose more than 1.1 percent Tuesday to end a three-day losing streak thanks to sharp gains in big-cap tech and bio shares. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 26.49 points, or 1.12 percent, to close at 2,383.51. Trading volume was a little slim at 437.5 million shares worth 7.8 trillion won ($5.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 630 to 249. Foreigners dumped a net 154.3 billion won worth of loc

Oct. 24, 2023

Seoul shares open higher as US Treasury yields slide

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as US Treasury yields took a breather after soaring in the past few days. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.77 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,364.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street ended mixed as US Treasury yields dropped after hitting 5 percent and investors awaited earnings reports from tech giants, including Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com, later this week. In Seoul, market bellwether Sams

Oct. 24, 2023

Seoul shares down for 3rd day amid geopolitical tension, high US bond yields

South Korean stocks closed sharply lower for the third consecutive day Monday as investors' risk-off sentiment escalated amid geopolitical uncertainties and high US bond yields. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 17.98 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,357.02. Trading volume was slim at 387.7 million shares worth 6.9 trillion won ($5.1 billion), with decliners beating gainers 593 to 283. "With no specific upward mome

Oct. 23, 2023

Seoul shares open almost flat amid geopolitical tensions, rate woes

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Monday amid geopolitical tensions and expectations of continued Fed rate woes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 1.75 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,373.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. All three major US indexes closed sharply lower Friday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and market expectations that the Fed will keep its key rates higher for longer. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.29 percent and t

Oct. 23, 2023

Seoul shares hit 7-month low on US rate hike woes

South Korean stocks dropped by more than 1 percent to the lowest point in over seven months Friday amid woes over the US Federal Reserve's further monetary tightening. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 40.8 points, or 1.69 percent, to close at 2,375, marking the lowest level since March 14, when the Kospi finished at 2,348.97. Trading volume was slim at 507.2 million shares worth 8.8 trillion won ($6.5 billion), with decliner

Oct. 20, 2023

Seoul shares open lower on US losses

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Friday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 35.19 points, or 1.46 percent, to 2,380.61 in the first 15 minutes of trading. After the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's hint at a further rate hike, US stocks closed sharply lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.75 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.96 percent. In Seoul, market heavyweights led the decline. Top-cap Samsu

Oct. 20, 2023

[Graphic News] Dried seaweed exports up 16% this year: data

South Korea’s exports of the dried seaweed gim grew 16 percent on-year during the first eight months of 2023 on solid overseas demand in line with the popularity of Korean food and culture, the Oceans Ministry said. Outbound shipments of gim came to $540.68 million in the January-August period, up from $466.1 million from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. In terms of volume, the country sold 24,862 tons of gim products during the cited period, up

Oct. 20, 2023

Seoul shares end nearly 2% lower amid Middle East woes

South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 2 percent lower Thursday as escalating concerns over the Israel-Hamas conflict stoked risk aversion. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 46.8 points, or 1.9 percent, to close at 2,415.8, marking the lowest level since Oct. 10, when Kospi finished at 2,402.58. Trading volume was moderate at 739.5 million shares worth 8.7 trillion won ($6.3 billion), with decliners sharply outnumbering gainers

Oct. 19, 2023

Seoul shares open sharply lower on US losses

South Korean stocks started sharply lower Thursday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 40.73 points, or 1.65 percent, to 2,421.87 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Dragged down by mixed corporate earnings reports and escalating concerns over the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.98 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.62 percent. In Seoul, most shares opened bearish across the board. Mar

Oct. 19, 2023

Seoul shares close nearly flat on US rate-hike woes

South Korean stocks finished almost flat Wednesday as better-than-expected US retail sales data sparked concerns over a further rate hike by the Federal Reserve. The Korean won increased against the US greenback. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched up 2.43 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 2,462.6. Trading volume was heavy at 899.4 million shares worth 8.75 trillion won ($6.48 billion), with losers slightly outnumbering gainers 475 to 390. Foreign inves

Oct. 18, 2023

Registration opens for offshore firms' FX trading

South Korea has begun the registration process for offshore financial firms to participate in interbank trades of the Korean won as part of its ongoing efforts to open up the domestic financial market to more foreign investors. Registered foreign institutions, or RFIs, will be able to participate in dollar-won spot exchanges, forex swap exchanges and forward exchanges from January next year, according to the revised Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act that took effect on O

Oct. 18, 2023

Seoul shares open lower on tech, battery slump

South Korean stocks started a tad lower amid Washington's updated exports control on chip exports to China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 6.74 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,453.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wall Street, US stocks finished mixed on better-than-expected retail sales data and the US government's latest rules to increase its restrictions on the sale of semiconductors from American companies to China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ro

Oct. 18, 2023

Seoul shares up nearly 1 pct on eased concerns over Middle East conflict

South Korean stocks jumped nearly 1 percent Tuesday as concerns over the Israel-Hamas conflict eased. The local currency slightly gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 23.93 points, or 0.98 percent, to close at 2,460.17, ending a two-session losing streak. Trading volume was moderate at 500.5 million shares worth 7.6 trillion won ($5.6 billion), with winners beating losers 582 to 281. Foreign purchases led the rally, as offshore investors scoo

Oct. 17, 2023

Seoul shares open higher on US gains

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 19.23 points, or 0.79 percent, to 2,455.47 in the first 15 minutes of trading. U.S. stocks closed higher as investors bet on big tech, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 0.93 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rising 1.2 percent. In Seoul, tech and battery shares led the bullish opening. Top-cap Samsung Electronics added 0.74 percent and i

Oct. 17, 2023

Seoul shares open lower ahead of earnings season

South Korean stocks started a tad lower Monday as investors took a cautious approach ahead of the earnings season. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 6.06 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,450.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Most of the major publicly traded companies report their quarterly earnings starting next week, with market heavyweights SK hynix and Samsung Electronics slated for Oct. 26 and Oct. 31, respectively. Battery shares led the decline, with industry leader L

Oct. 16, 2023

Foreigners turn net sellers of S. Korean stocks for 15 sessions

Foreign investors have dumped South Korean stocks for 15 consecutive trading days, the longest streak logged since 2020, according to the bourse operator Sunday. Foreigners offloaded a net 2.5 trillion won ($1.8 billion) on the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index from Sept. 18 to last Friday, according to the Korea Exchange. Previously, the longest sell-off streak in the Kospi market recorded by foreigners was 30 consecutive trading days from March 5 to April 16 in 2020. During the 15-da

Oct. 15, 2023

Seoul shares dip 1 pct on Fed rate hike woes, won sharply slides

South Korean stocks fell by almost 1 percent Friday, as investors moved to lock in profits from recent gains on concerns about high inflation and the Federal Reserve's tightening push. The local currency fell sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 23.67 points, or 0.95 percent, to close at 2,456.15, ending a two-day winning streak. Trading volume was a bit slim at 576.69 million shares worth 7.06 trillion won ($5.23 billion), with losers outpacin

Oct. 13, 2023

Seoul shares open lower on rising woes over Fed rate hike speculation

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, as investors moved to lock in profits from recent sharp gains on quicker-than-expected US inflation and high bond yields. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 14.41 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,465.41 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US shares finished lower after the consumer price index rose at a quicker than expected rate of 3.7 percent on-year in September, which raised speculati

Oct. 13, 2023

Seoul shares end higher on tech gains, Fed comments

Seoul shares ended higher Thursday, tracking gains on Wall Street, buoyed by Federal Reserve officials' dovish comments on interest rates and tech gains. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 29.74 points, or 1.21 percent, to close at 2,479.82. Trading volume was moderate at 505.19 million shares worth 8.79 trillion won ($6.5 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 676 to 201. Institutions bought a net 254.08 billion won worth of sto

Oct. 12, 2023

Seoul shares open higher on US gains

Seoul shares opened higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, boosted by dovish comments on interest rates by Federal Reserve officials. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 18.59 points, or 0.8 percent, to 2,468.67 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 percent to 33,804.87, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.7 percent to 13,659.68. Fed officials said the US central bank doesn't need to keep tighten

Oct. 12, 2023