South Korea's growth potential will likely continue dwindling over the next three years weighed by poor consumer spending and sluggish investment, a central bank report said Wednesday.According to a report by Kang Hwan-koo, an official from the Bank of Korea's research department, the country's growth potential suffered a heavy loss after the 2008 global financial crisis, dipping from an annual growth of around 5 percent between 2000 and 2005 to the mid-3-percent range in the 2011-2014 period.Ba

Seoul shares down 0.54 pct in late morning tradeSouth Korean stocks traded 0.54 percent lower late Wednesday morning on losses in techs and automakers.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 10.36 points to 1,920.17 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech and auto stocks led the overall market decline. Top market cap Samsung Electronics shed 2.98 percent, and global chipmaker SK Hynix fell 0.49 percent.No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor declined 1.39 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors went down

South Korean shares opened lower on Wednesday on losses in tech and chemicals firms.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged down 1.72 points, or 0.09 percent, to 1,928.81 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market heavyweights traded mixed.Top market cap Samsung Electronics fell 0.66 percent, while global chipmaker SK Hynix advanced 0.16 percent.No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor gained 0.7 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors rose 0.59 percent.LG Chem, the country's top

South Korean stocks bounced back from a four-month low on Tuesday as China's stock market rout eased on hopes that authorities may take action to stem severe volatility.The local currency fell against the greenback.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 11.77 points, or 0.61 percent, to end at 1,930.53. Trade volume was moderate at 441 million shares worth 4.09 trillion won (US$3.44 billion), with winners beating losers 463 to 349.On Monday, the KOSPI shed more than 2 perc

South Korean stocks traded 0.8 percent higher late Tuesday morning, recovering from the previous session's plunge triggered by China's stock rout.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 4.81 points to 1,933.57 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech firms led the overall market gain. Top market cap Samsung Electronics gained 0.17 percent, and global chipmaker SK Hynix rose 2.65 percent.In contrast, No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor remained unchanged, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors went down 0.2 pe

South Korea downplayed the impact of China's stock market crash on its domestic financial market on Tuesday, saying the market will regain stability again.Chinese stock tumbled nearly 7 percent Monday on the year's first trading session due to concerns over its manufacturing sector, rattling South Korean and other financial markets.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged more than 2 percent to a four-month low on Monday, with the South Korean currency sinking to the lowes

South Korean shares opened higher on Tuesday, recovering from the previous day's plunge triggered by Chinese turmoil, as investors scooped up oversold stocks.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index edged up 0.49 points, or 0.03 percent, to 1,919.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market heavyweights traded mixed.Top market cap Samsung Electronics slumped 0.08 percent, while global chipmaker SK Hynix rose 2.65 percent.No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor gained 0.69 percent, and its smaller a

South Korea's current account surplus grew from a month earlier in November as the deficit in the service sector narrowed, nearly offsetting a drop in the goods account, preliminary data from the central bank showed Tuesday.The current account surplus came to US$9.4 billion in November, compared with a revised $9.12 billion surplus in the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.The November tally, however, marks a significant drop from the$10.76 billion surplus in November 2

Shanghai stocks plunged almost four percent Monday morning while Hong Kong also tumbled after another batch of data highlighting weakness in China's economy, while dealers are also on edge over flaring Middle East tensions.The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index sank 3.94 percent, or 139.27 points, to 3,399.91, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, slumped 5.34 percent, or 123.28 points, to 2,185.63.Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 2.31 perc

South Korean stocks plunged more than 2 percent to a near four-month low Monday on the first trading session of 2016, as China's stock market crash and concerns over fourth-quarter corporate earnings dented investor sentiment here.The local currency sharply fell against the greenback, also flirting with an over three-month low.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 42.55 points, or 2.17 percent, to end at 1,918.76, the lowest since Sept. 8, when the comparable figure was 1,878.68 p

South Korea's retail sales rose 4.2 percent in November from a year earlier on the back of brisk demand for consumer goods like electronics, furniture and garments, a government report showed Monday.Retail sales reached 32.27 trillion won ($27.3 billion) in November, compared with 30.96 trillion won a year ago, according to a report by Statistics Korea.The figure, however, dropped slightly from October's 32.38 trillion won, which marked a 10-month high.Sales of consumer electronics, computers an

South Korean stocks traded 1.28 percent lower late Monday morning due to losses in techs and automakers.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 25.14 points to 1,936.17 as of 11:20 a.m.Top market cap Samsung Electronics slumped 2.94 percent, and global chipmaker SK Hynix fell 1.46 percent.No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor fell 2.68 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors shed 3.04 percent.In contrast, LG Chem, the country's top chemical firm, advanced 3.5 percent.U.S. stoc

Oil prices rose in Asia Monday after crude kingpin Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran following a row over Tehran's execution of a Shiite cleric.Saudi Arabia announced the decision Sunday, a day after protesters ransacked its embassy in Tehran over the execution of a Shiite cleric.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Iranian diplomats had 48 hours to leave the kingdom and Iran's supreme leader said Saudi Arabia would face "quick consequences" for executing the cleric.Fearing furthe