Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, amid hopes that the US Federal Reserve may pause its tightening campaign. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 20.93 points, or 0.82 percent, to 2,573.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.7 percent. Latest US economic data, including decreased job openings and weakened consumer confidence, has r

Seoul shares ended higher Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, with investors awaiting economic data over the next few days for clues on the outlook for global central banks' monetary policies. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 8.75 points, or 0.34 percent, to close at 2,552.16. Trading volume was moderate at 434.48 million shares worth 8.15 trillion won ($6.2 billion), with gainers outnumbering decliners 622 to 248. O

Government prioritizes fiscal soundness as the country faces shrinking tax revenue and soaring debts

Seoul shares opened higher Tuesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, as investors await economic data over the next few days for clues on the outlook for global central banks' monetary policies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 6.29 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,549.70 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended in positive territory, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.62 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbing 0.84 percent. Inve

South Korea on Monday began annual consultation meetings with global rating appraiser Standard & Poor's Global Ratings (S&P) to discuss the country's credit valuation and economic circumstances, the finance ministry said. The delegation, led by Kim Eng Tan, senior director of Asia-Pacific sovereign ratings at S&P, is visiting South Korea for three days of consultations through Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The delegation paid a courtesy visit

Seoul shares ended higher Monday, following gains on Wall Street after the US Federal Reserve signaled a moderate course on its monetary policy in the future. The Korean won rose against the dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 24.27 points, or 0.96 percent, to close at 2,543.41. Trading volume was moderate at 475.47 million shares worth 8.1 trillion won ($6.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering decliners 725 to 154. On Friday, US stocks ended higher, with the Dow Jones I

Seoul shares opened higher Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street, as the US Federal Reserve looks set to take a cautious stance in raising rates again. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 7.25 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,526.39 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended in positive territory, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.7 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbing 0.9 percent. In his speech last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Fe

South Korea’s exports of farm and fisheries products fell 3.8 percent on-year in the first half of the year, data showed. Outbound shipments of agricultural and fisheries goods came to $5.95 billion in the January-June period, down from $6.19 billion a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. Last year’s tally marked an all-time high for the first half of any year, and it was the first time that the figure surpassed the $6 billion mark. This

Gasoline and diesel prices are displayed at a gas station in Seoul on Sunday, as diesel averaged over 1,600 won ($1.2) per liter, marking a six-month high following seven continuous weeks of rising gas prices. (Yonhap)

The on-year growth in consumer prices is likely to bounce back to the 3 percent range from this month due to the spike in international oil prices. While inflation in Korea has been easing off this year, the Finance Ministry expects it to climb back, reaching the 3 percent range before coming down again in October. Korea's on-year growth in consumer prices has been showing signs of slowing down this year. It came down to 4.8 percent in February from 5.2 percent in January, and stayed in the

Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, said Sunday that it completed the rebranding process at its Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang Province, almost three months after Hanwha Group took over the cash-strapped shipbuilder in May. The four gigantic orange cranes are now adorned with Hanwha Ocean’s new logo. (Hanwha Ocean)

South Korea's exports of fisheries products fell more than 10 percent on-year during the first seven months of 2023, data showed Sunday. Outbound shipments of marine products came to $1.75 billion in the January-July period, down 11.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT). Global sales of major fisheries goods suffered a decline, with exports of tuna skidding 21.1 percent to $322 million and those of pollack sinking 82.8 p

China’s lifting of group tours to South Korea is estimated to lead to 800,000 more travelers and raise Korea’s gross domestic product by 0.06 percent this year, the Bank of Korea said Friday. The resumption of group tours is expected to have a significant impact on the recovery of Chinese tourists visiting Korea, considering that about 40 percent of all Chinese tourists were group tourists before the restrictions were put in place, according to an economic outlook report released b

Seoul shares ended lower Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as investors await the US Federal Reserve chief's speech for any clues of its rate policy. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 18.54 points, or 0.73 percent, to close at 2,519.14. Trading volume was moderate at 569.76 million shares worth 8.19 trillion won ($6.2 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 488 to 367. Institutions and foreigners sold a combined 369 b

Seoul shares opened lower Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as investors await the US Federal Reserve chief's speech for clues on its rate policy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 23.46 points, or 0.92 percent, to 2,514.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks declined, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.1 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declining 1.9 percent. Investors are keeping an eye on the speech Friday to be delive