[THE INVESTOR] South Korean shares opened higher on July 8 as tech and auto issues continued to rise.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 2.86 points, or 0.14 percent, to 1,976.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The index closed 1.07 percent higher July 7 after tech giant Samsung Electronics estimated its Q2 operating profit at 8.1 trillion won (US$7 billion), far exceeding the earlier market consensus of 7.34 trillion won.

Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone-maker, again advanced 0.69 percent as of 9:15 a.m. Friday, while global chipmaker SK hynix spiked 1.31 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor gained 0.76 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors added 0.12 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,157.70 won against the US greenback, down 3.10 won from the previous session’s close.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)