South Korean stocks closed up Tuesday ahead of the release of the United States' key inflation data. The local currency gained against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 12.94 points, or 0.53 percent, to close at 2,465.64, as investors staged a comeback from their losing streak in the last three sessions. Trading volume was a bit slim at 343.4 million shares worth 6.66 trillion won ($5.24 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 490 to 374. Institutions and

Market expects Korea to join watch list in June, along with up to $56 billion potential net inflows

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday on overnight Wall Street gains ahead of the release of the United States' key inflation data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 24.25 points, or 0.99 percent, to 2,476.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks rallied after a New York Federal Reserve consumer survey showing Americans lowered their expectations for future income gains suggested that consumer price data due out Tuesday might come in better shape than previous

South Korean stocks fell for a third session Monday on tech losses as investors remain cautious ahead of the release of the United States' key inflation data this week. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 17.03 points, or 0.69 percent, to 2,452.70. Trading volume was a bit slim at 480.0 million shares worth 7.27 trillion won ($5.69 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 530 to 340. Institutions sold a net 407.92 billion won

South Korea's exports increased 11.9 percent on-year in the first 10 days of February, data showed Monday, due to stronger shipments of automobiles and more working days. The country's outbound shipments stood at $17.6 billion in the Feb. 1-10 period, compared with $15.7 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The daily export volume, on the other hand, dipped 14.5 percent on-year, the data showed. The number of working days came to 8.5 days over t

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday ahead of the release of the United States' key inflation data later this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 17.42 points, or 0.71 percent, to 2,452.31 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investors are awaiting the US' Consumer Price Index report for January due out on Tuesday, which will set the tone for the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening path. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last week that disinflation has starte

SM founder teams up with Hybe to hinder Kakao’s K-pop ambition

Seoul shares ended lower Friday amid the prospect of further rate hikes by the Federal Reserve to tame inflation. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 11.79 points, or 0.48 percent, to 2,469.73. Trading volume was moderate at 653.41 million shares worth 8.3 trillion won ($6.6 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 607 to 283. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 1 perc

Seoul shares opened lower Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as investors remain concerned over the Federal Reserve's continued monetary tightening. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 9.82 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,471.70 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 1 percent. Fed officials said interest rates need to remain high for a while to battle inflation, weighing o

Kakao Corp., the operator of the country's top mobile messenger, said Friday its 2022 net income fell 38 percent due to a base effect. The company's net profit totaled 1.02 trillion won ($810.2 million) on a consolidated basis in 2022, compared with a profit of 1.64 trillion won a year ago, according to Kakao in a regulatory filing. It posted 580.5 billion won in operating profit for the year, down 2.4 percent from 594.9 billion won the previous year. Annual sales rose 15.8 percent to

JB Financial Group said Thursday its net profit hit a record high last year on higher net interest income and operational efficiency. The financial group logged 601 billion won ($477.5 million) in net profit in 2022, up 18.6 percent from a year ago, according to its earnings report. The amount marks the largest since the financial holding company was launched in 2013. “The group will seek to continue its stable growth this year by focusing on profitability-oriented and substantial manage

An appellate court on Thursday ordered Namyang Dairy Product to sell its controlling stake to private equity firm Hahn & Co. to abide by a binding contract signed by the two in 2021. The Seoul High Court upheld the lower court's decision in favor of Hahn & Co., dismissing the appeal filed by Namyang Dairy Product Chairman Hong Won-sik, saying it “did not see a reason” to continue the trial. The court ordered Hong and his family members to hand over 53.08 percent stake in

South Korean stocks marginally fell Thursday, snapping their two-day winning streak, as investors took profits amid lingering uncertainty over the United States' monetary tightening. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 2.12 points, or 0.09 percent, to 2,481.52. Trading volume was moderate at 595.66 million shares worth 8.76 trillion won ($6.95 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 508 to 363. Institutions sold a net 384.86

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, driven by big-cap tech losses, as US shares ended lower on concerns over the Federal Reserve's continued monetary tightening. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 15.03 points, or 0.61 percent, to 2,468.61 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US shares ended lower after Fed Gov. Christopher Waller said he's "prepared for a longer fight to get inflation down" and interest rates need to remain high for

South Korea will continue to revamp its market policies to attract more foreign investors to join the World Government Bond Index this year, the finance ministry said Thursday. The remark came after Second Vice Finance Minister Choi Sang-dae held a meeting with David Sol, the global head of London-based FTSE Russell, which operates the index Wednesday. The WGBI is a broad index designed to measure the performance of government bond markets, including local currencies and sovereign bonds of major