Seoul shares opened higher Thursday, tracking an overnight rally on Wall Street, while investors waited for the outcome of the South Korean central bank's first rate decision meeting this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 29.88 points, or 1.2 percent, to 2,526.69 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes rallied as blue chip tech shares gained ground, backed by signs of slowing inflation in the latest consumer price index, which reinforced bets the

Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday on gains in techs and shipbuilders, with investors awaiting key US inflation data this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 22.75 points, or 0.91 percent, to 2,520.15 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.52 percent to 42,518.28 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.23 percent to 19,044.39 points. All eyes are now on the US consumer price index report due later in the day, which may p

Seoul shares closed higher Tuesday helped by retail buying, with investors trimming bets on the US Federal Reserve's rate cuts amid a resilient US economy. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 7.84 points, or 0.31 percent, to close at 2,497.40, snapping a second-session losing streak. Trade volume was moderate at 406.24 million shares worth 8 trillion won ($5.46 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 509 to 363. Overnight, US stocks

Seoul shares opened higher Tuesday after a mixed close on Wall Street, helped by gains in techs and shipbuilders. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 7.98 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,497.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.86 percent to 42,297.12 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.38 percent to 19,088.10 points. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.18 percent, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix climbed 0.2 p

Global asset manager Capital Group is rapidly increasing its holdings in South Korea’s leading financial institutions, positioning itself as the second-largest shareholder in both KB Financial Group and Hana Financial Group. In a filing Friday with South Korea’s Financial Services Commission via the Dart system, Capital Group disclosed that it had purchased 3.22 million shares of KB Financial between Nov. 29 and Dec. 31, raising its stake from 7.24 percent to 8.06 percent. The acquisition makes

South Korean stocks ended a five-day winning streak Friday as investors moved to lock in profits from recent gains mainly in tech shares. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 6.12 points, or 0.24 percent, to close at 2,515.78. Trade volume was moderate at 365.58 million shares worth 9.43 trillion won ($6.43 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 462 to 406. The index opened higher and had moved within a tight range before turning

South Korean stocks opened a tad higher Friday on gains of semiconductor and auto shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1.43 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,523.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Foreign and retail investors purchased shares, offsetting institutional selling. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.18 percent, and chip giant SK hynix surged 2.68 percent. Top automaker Hyundai Motor soared 2.82 percent, and its sister affiliate Kia advanced 1.36 per

Korea Exchange reassures Corporate Value-up push is on track Under the South Korean government’s push to boost corporate value, listed companies bought back shares worth 18.8 trillion won ($12.9 billion) last year, marking an over 10 trillion won on-year surge, according to the country’s bourse operator, Korea Exchange, Thursday. In February, the country launched the Corporate Value-up Program, aiming to boost the capacities of listed companies and tackle the persistent undervaluation of its sto

South Korean stocks rose more than 1 percent Wednesday, driven by advances in top-cap Samsung Electronics and other tech shares. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 28.95 points, or 1.16 percent, to close at 2,521.05, extending the winning streak to a fourth session. Trade volume was moderate at 356.27 million shares worth 10.24 trillion won ($7.03 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 459 to 407. The index opened lower, track

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, despite Wall Street losses, on gains of tech and pharmaceuticals. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 10.71 points, or 0.43 percent, to 2,502.81 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Retailers were in a buying mode, while foreign and institutional investors offloaded local shares. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.4 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sank 1.9 percent, as better-than-expected job market data r

Foreign investors keep net-purchasing streak despite disappointment over chip stocks Korean shares gained on Tuesday with the benchmark Kospi briefly recovering to the 2500-point level to reverse sharp losses induced by political turmoil late last year as foreign investors maintained their net buying spree. According to the Korea Exchange, foreigners net purchased 419.9 billion won ($390 million) on Kospi in four trading days this year, continuing their net buying streak for three consecutive da

South Korean stocks rose nearly 2 percent Monday as investors picked up chip bargains while welcoming a major investment plan by Microsoft and marked gains of US tech shares. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 46.72 points, or 1.91 percent, to close at 2,488.64, extending the winning streak to a second session. Trade volume was moderate at 296.92 million shares worth 8.05 trillion won ($5.48 billion), with winners outnumbering los

Korea Exchange testing program to detect illegal forms of short-selling ahead of short sale resumption in March South Korea is in the final steps of testing a new monitoring program designed to detect the illegal short-selling of domestic stocks before it removes a total ban on short-selling at the end of March. The country’s sole bourse operator, Korea Exchange, said it completed the development of a "naked short-selling detecting system," also called NSDS, which identifies illegal activities b

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday led by gains of big-cap tech shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 8.86 points, or 0.36 percent, to 2,450.78 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Retail investors were on a buying mode, offsetting selling by foreigners and institutions. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.37 percent, and chip giant SK hynix soared 3.9 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO Holdings gained 0.39 percent, and internet platform giant Naver jumped 2.99 p

Seoul shares closed a tad lower Thursday, extending their losing streak to a fifth consecutive session on political anxieties surrounding the impeachment trial and investigation against President Yoon Suk Yeol. The South Korean won gained against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 0.55 points, or 0.02 percent, to close at 2,398.94. Trade volume was slim at 344.7 million shares worth 6.8 trillion won ($4.63 billion). Gainers, however, outnumbered losers 451 to 426