South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday following overnight losses on Wall Street after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen hinted at an interest rate hike this month. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 13.11 points, or 0.65 percent, to 1,996.1 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks fell across the board, with chemicals leading the losses. SK Innovation, the nation's top refiner, declined 1.57 percent, and No. 3 S-Oil retreated 1.74 percent. U.S. stocks fell on Wednes

South Korean stocks retreated 0.72 percent Wednesday as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the European Central Bank's two-day policy meeting to decide on expanding its stimulus step. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 14.64 points, or 0.72 percent, to 2,009.29. Trade volume was moderate at 623.96 million shares worth 4.3 trillion won ($3.69 billion), with losers far outpacing gainers 532 to 286.Investors expect the ECB t

South Korean stocks traded lower late Wednesday morning as foreign investors dumped market heavyweights on woes over a widely expected rate hike in the United States.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 4.73 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,019.2 as of 11:20 a.m. Most market heavyweights were in negative terrain. Top market cap Samsung Electronics declined 0.61 percent, and Korea Electric Power Corp., the state-run power provider, slipped 1.31 percent.However, cosmetics shares trade

South Korea plans to retrieve part of special soft loans provided to local firms involved in economic cooperation with North Korea for the first time in five years, government officials said Wednesday.Tapping into a state fund on inter-Korean cooperation, Seoul has provided loans with low rates to such companies to help them cope with financial troubles stemming from the South's punitive sanctions against the North in 2010.  Local firms that had invested in projects and assets in North Korea are

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as market heavyweights lost ground on woes over a widely expected rate hike in the U.S.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 6.5 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,017.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top market cap Samsung Electronics fell 1.44 percent after the tech giant appointed a new head for its flagship mobile business that is struggling with falling margins amid tougher global competition. In contrast, automakers traded bullish

Shinhan Card Co., South Korea's leading credit card company, said Wednesday it has established a joint venture with an Indonesian carmaker to tap into the credit market in the Southeast Asian country.   Shinhan Indo Finance set sail earlier in the day to provide a range of vehicle-related financing and leasing, while planning to expand into the credit card business starting in the second half of next year, according to Shinhan Card.Shinhan's Indonesian partner is Swadharma Indotama Finance, a fi

South Korean stocks jumped 1.6 percent Tuesday as investors hunted for bargains after the previous day's steep fall, picking up auto, steel and other large-cap shares. The local currency rose slightly against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 31.96 points to 2,023.93. This followed a 1.82 percent plunge on Monday. Trade volume was moderate at 560.61 million shares worth 4.8 trillion won ($4.1 billion), with gainers outpacing decliners 528 to 286."Investors see

South Korea's state-run debt clearer said Tuesday it has bought bad debt worth 4.2 trillion won ($3.62 billion) this year and plans to expand the amount next year to help banks and policy lenders have clean balance sheets."We've bought 2.1 trillion won in non-performing loans from financial institutions and another 2.1 trillion won of debt from policy lending agencies so far this year," Hong Young-man, chief of the Korea Asset Management Corp., told reporters.The figure for 2015 is a 35-percent

South Korean stocks traded higher late Tuesday morning as investors picked up tech, steel and other large-cap shares following a marked loss in the previous day. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 23.67 points, or 1.19 percent, to 2,015.64 as of 11:20 a.m. This followed a 1.82 percent plunge on Monday.Tech issues rebounded, with Samsung Electronics and Internet portal operator Naver jumping 1.79 percent and 1.74 percent, respectively. Steelmaking giant POSCO surged nearly 3 per

The delinquency rate for loans extended by South Korean banks edged up in October from a month earlier due to a rise in soured loans extended to small- and mid-sized enterprises, the financial watchdog said Tuesday.The average delinquency rate for bank loans stood at 0.7 percent at the end of October, up 0.04 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.From a year earlier, the figure dropped 0.2 percentage point, it added.Loans with both the principal an