South Korea's stock market for venture firms and startups posted a sharp growth this year with its turnover more than doubling from a year earlier, data showed on Tuesday.The Korea New Exchange debuted in June 2013 to provide a bourse where fledgling businesses can raise funds easier via stock sales instead of having to borrow from banks. After starting with 21 companies, KONEX currently has 71 firms.According to the main bourse operator, the Korea Exchange, the daily average stock turnover on t

South Korean stocks ended higher Monday as China's weekend interest rate cut enhanced investor sentiment and Samsung Electronics reclaimed the spotlight with its latest Galaxy smartphones, analysts said. The South Korean won lost against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index increased 11.01 points, or 0.55 percent, to close at 1,996.81.Trading volume was moderate at 355.3 million shares worth 5.43 trillion won ($4.94 billion), with gainers beating decliners 423 to 400.A

Lowering key interest rates further can promote growth in the South Korean economy, a finance ministry official said Monday, as fluctuating economic data is raising uncertainties about the future of the country's economy. The remark by Lee Chan-woo, head of the ministry's economic policy bureau, comes after South Korea's industrial production dropped 1.7 percent in January compared to the previous month, with specific numbers for the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity sectors falling a s

South Korean stocks started higher Monday led by gains in market heavyweights on the back of strong retail buying.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 8.04 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1993.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech giant Samsung Electronics rose 2.36 percent after it released its flagship smartphone Galaxy S6 with new materials and payment features to take on its U.S. rival Apple in the premium phone market. Petrochemicals traded in the positive territory after W

Foreign investors turned net buyers of Korean stocks in February, snapping a two-month selling streak on the back of easing uncertainties in Greece and the U.S. central bank's flexible stance on an interest rate hike, the Seoul bourse operator said Monday.Offshore traders bought a net 1.32 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in the main KOSPI market last month, after offloading a net 1.39 trillion won and 2.31 trillion won each in January and December, the Korea Exchange, the country's stock market oper

South Korea's monthly current account surplus slipped for a second straight month in January but continued to expand its surplus streak for a 35th straight month, data showed Monday.The current account surplus hit US$6.94 billion in January, inching lower from a revised $7.02 billion the previous month, according to the preliminary data by the Bank of Korea. The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade.The balance of goods reached $7.09 billion in January, down from an $8.32

Wages of temporary workers dropped for the first time in four years in 2014, fueling worries that the country may be entering a period of economic growth and more employment without real income gains, observers said Sunday.Data by the labor ministry showed inflation growth outpacing income gains of temporary workers last year. This effectively means negative growth in terms of wages.Temporary workers, who are usually hired for less than a year, and belonging to firms with five or more employees,

South Korea's exports shrank 3.4 percent on-year in February, but the trade surplus surged to a new monthly high as imports dropped at a faster rate, the government said Sunday.The country's outbound shipments came to US$41.46 billion last month while imports plunged 19.6 percent on-year to US$33.8 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The trade surplus came to $7.66 billion, the highest amount ever for the country.February marked the 37th consecutive month of surplus.

Bank lending rates for new loans in South Korea again trended lower in January after briefly ticking up a month earlier, central bank data showed Friday.  The average rate for new loans to households, companies and other organizations came in at 3.9 percent last month, slipping 0.01 percentage point from the previous month, according to the preliminary data by the Bank of Korea.  In December, the figure gained 0.03 percentage point to 3.91 percent, posting the first on-month rise since March las