South Korean stocks rose by almost 2 percent Thursday despite overnight Wall Street losses, with techs and autos climbing as the nation's exports rose for the fourth month. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 45.37 points, or 1.82 percent, to 2,542.46. Trade volume was heavy at 741.3 million shares worth 13.3 trillion won ($9.98 billion), with winners outpacing losers 668 to 239. South Korea's exports moved up for the fourt

Hana Securities, the brokerage unit of South Korean finance giant Hana Financial Group, on Thursday announced it has established a new foreign investment team. According to the Hana subsidiary, the move comes in response to the recent abolition of the foreign investors' registration system by the local government. Starting in December, South Korea scrapped a 30-year-old policy that required foreign nationals to register with the local financial regulators to open an account and trade on the

Mirae Asset Global Investments is to launch a new exchange-traded fund product investing in interest rates, seeing lucrative opportunities amid the relatively high-interest rates, the asset manager said Thursday. The asset manager, with total assets under management surpassing 300 trillion won ($225 billion) as of the end of 2023, is to add a new product to its Tiger ETF lineup to secure the lead in the local ETF market. Named the Mirae Asset Tiger Synth CD 1Y Rate Active ETF, the financial prod

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong (center) attends a discussion session with employees to talk about the group’s efforts for digital transformation at the headquarters in central Seoul on Wednesday. Top executives and working-level engineers specialized in artificial intelligence and data analysis joined the event to share the latest digital trends in the financial market and Shinhan’s future strategy. “Each of you should become a ‘business designer’ to

The government on Thursday imposed an eight-month business suspension on GS Engineering & Construction Corp. over the collapse of a parking garage at an apartment construction site in Incheon last year. The land ministry said GS Engineering, along with four smaller consortium partner builders, will be subject to business suspensions over the underground parking garage collapse at the apartment complex site in Geomdan-dong in Incheon, west of Seoul, in April 2023. GS Engineering and its partn

Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said Thursday that monetary policy needs to stay restrictive for a long time, reaffirming the central bank's commitment to bringing inflation down. Rhee said the BOK's "tightening stance needs to be maintained for a sufficiently long time, checking the monetary policy, inflation and financial stability data of major countries." In a forum hosted by a business lobby for employers, Rhee said a "half-baked" rate cut may provide stimulus to sent

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday despite overnight Wall Street losses from the US Federal Reserve's indication that it won't likely cut interest rates next month against the hopes of many investors. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 9.56 points, or 0.38 percent, to 2,506.65 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US Fed held its benchmark lending rate steady for the fourth consecutive time. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeti

South Korea's exports moved up for the fourth consecutive month in January as exports of chips rose at the sharpest rate in around six years, data showed Thursday. Outbound shipments advanced 18 percent on-year to $54.6 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports fell 7.8 percent on-year to $54.3 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $300 million. South Korea has been maintaining a monthly trade surplus since June 2

Prolonged slump, weak corporate earnings lead to record shortage of tax revenue in 2023

South Korean stocks closed slightly lower Wednesday, hurt by declines in semiconductor stocks after chip giant Samsung Electronics reported its fourth-quarter earnings. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 1.72 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,497.09. Trade volume was moderate at 443.1 million shares worth 8.69 trillion won ($6.50 billion), with losers outpacing winners 525 to 350. Market watchers cited the mixed performance of overnight Wa

South Korean stocks opened weaker Wednesday ahead of a key rate decision by the US Federal Reserve this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slid 6.01 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,492.80 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks closed mixed as Wall Street waited for the Fed's latest decision on interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.35 percent, while the S&P 500 shed 0.06 percent. The Nasdaq composite dropped 0.76 percent. In Seoul

South Korean stocks closed lower Tuesday as investors booked profit ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting later this week. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 1.84 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 2,498.81, ending its three consecutive session advance. Trade volume was moderate at 476.1 million shares worth 8.63 trillion won ($6.49 billion). Winners, however, outpaced losers 493 to 385. Foreign and retail investors s

Petitions submitted by investors reeling from losses due to Hong Kong-tied derivatives are laid out at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. A group of investors held a protest, calling for compensation for their losses and accusing banks of misleading them. The principal losses from the financial product are estimated to reach 6 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in the first half of this year. (Yonhap)

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 18.70 points, or 0.75 percent, to 2,519.35 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks gained ground as investors looked ahead to scheduled earnings announcements by major companies and the Federal Reserve's rate decision meeting later this week. The S&P 500 climbed 0.8 percent to close at a fresh high, while the Dow Jones Indu

South Korean stocks closed higher for the third straight trading day Monday as institutions and foreign investors shored tech, bio and other blue chips. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 22.09 points, or 0.89 percent, to close at 2,500.65, extending its winning streak to a third day. Trade volume was moderate at 421.5 million shares worth 8.85 trillion won ($6.62 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 523 to 361. Institutions and for