[THE INVESTOR] South Korean stocks opened lower on Sept. 21, as investors remain cautious ahead of a US rate decision.

The benchmark KOSPI lost 1.44 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,024.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The broad index bucked overnight gains on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.05 percent, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ composite index climbing 0.12 percent.




Analysts said the local stock market could remain volatile until investors find the results of the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting due later this week.

Large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.

Market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.76 percent and Naver, the top internet portal operator, was up 0.72 percent.

Top automaker Hyundai Motor was down 0.36 percent, while global chipmaker SK hynix lost 1.15 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,117.45 won against the US dollar, up 3.15 won from the previous session’s close.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)