South Korean stocks closed lower Tuesday after strong gains in the previous session and mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 20.42 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,662.10. Trade volume was heavy at 759.2 million shares worth 12.5 trillion won ($9.07 billion), with losers far outpacing gainers 642 to 226. Foreigners and institutions dumped shares worth a net 516 billion won, while individu

Stock prices of oil- and gas-related companies went on a roller coaster ride Tuesday, amid investors’ interest in the discovery of possible oil reserves off the East Coast following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s announcement the previous day. With the government approving exploratory drilling for a potential 14 billion barrels of crude oil and natural gas reserve at Yeongil Bay in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, investors flocked to energy-related shares listed on the Korean bourse.

Financial feasibility remains uncertain as each well costs 100 billion won ($72.6 million) to drill, with no guarantee of viable reserves

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Tuesday the government will extend tariff reduction on fruit imports and introduce the lower-tariff scheme for food materials in an effort to curb inflation. The government has applied the tax reduction through the tariff-rate quota on imports of 28 kinds of fruits, including bananas, pineapples, mangoes and cherries, which was supposed to end by end-June. But it decided to extend the measure through the end of 2024, Choi said, presiding over a prices-related

South Korean stocked opened weaker Tuesday as investors took profit from strong gains the previous session and on mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slid 6.06 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,676.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street shares finished mixed amid the latest economic indicators showing a slowing of the US economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3 percent while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6 percent a

Stock prices of oil- and gas-related companies spiked Monday, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval for exploratory drilling of potentially massive reserves of natural resources off the country's southeastern coast. Out of 10 stocks that hit upper price limits on Monday, seven were related to oil and gas. The benchmark Kospi was up 1.74 percent from the previous day. Shares of the state-run Korea Gas Corp. surged by 29.9 percent to close at 38,600 won ($28). Other shares in the

South Korean stocks rallied by more than 1.7 percent Monday as investors' sentiment was boosted by favorable economic data that could lead to a rate cut in the United States. The local currency rose sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 46 points, or 1.74 percent, to close at 2,682.52, ending in positive territory for the second consecutive session. Trade volume was heavy at 768.6 million shares worth 13.8 trillion won ($10 billion), with gainer

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The government will extend greater tax benefits and tailored support to smaller companies to help them become second-tier midsized firms in an effort to create quality jobs and spur growth momentum, the finance ministry said Monday. A set of such supportive measures were presented during an economic ministers' meeting presided over by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, which also called for extending an additional 7 trillion won ($5.07 billion) of funding to exporters. "A smaller number o

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Monday as moderate US inflation raised hopes for a possible rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 33.76 points, or 1.28 percent, to 2,670.28 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy costs, increased 0.2 percent in April, meeting market expectations. The PCE index is one of the key barometers for the US central bank to set its ton

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Household loans extended by five major lenders in South Korea rose for the second straight month in May on a rise in mortgage and credit loans, industry data showed Sunday. Household loans extended by the five top lenders added 4.7 trillion won ($3.39 billion) from a month earlier to 702.7 trillion won as of end-May, according to data compiled by Yonhap News Agency. It marked the second consecutive on-month growth from 4.4 trillion won in April, following a 2.2 trillion-won drop in March. The ga

South Korea's exports extended on-year gains to the eighth straight month in May on the back of strong shipments of semiconductors, data showed Saturday. Outbound shipments rose 11.7 percent on-year to $58.1 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports shed 2 percent on-year to $53.1 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.96 billion. South Korea has been maintaining a trade surplus for 12 consecutive months. It was

The government has set a target return rate of 5.4 percent for the National Pension Service fund operations over the next five years. On Friday, the NPS announced that its Fund Management Committee had approved the midterm asset allocation plan for the 2025-2029 period, establishing a target return rate of 5.4 percent. In accordance with the committee's decision earlier this month to increase the long-term allocation of investments in high-risk assets to 65 percent, the target asset proport

Seoul shares ended almost flat Friday after a three-day rise ahead of key US inflation data due this week. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.08 point, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,636.52. The main index has fallen 1.9 percent this week. Trade volume was heavy at 594.78 million shares worth 15.45 trillion won ($11.1 billion), with gainers far outpacing losers 533 to 332. Institutions and individuals bought a combined 1.35 trillion