The Korean government plans to expand tax incentives for the nation’s strategic technologies such as advanced chips and displays as part of a tax revision that takes effect next month. The Finance Ministry on Tuesday unveiled a set of tax reform plans, including tax cuts worth up to 950 billion won ($711 million) per year, in a bid to attract more investment into new growth drivers and boost the local economy. The chip and display sectors have already been protected as strategic industries

South Korean stocks closed higher Tuesday as investors scooped up undervalued shares after US stock indexes closed at an all-time high overnight. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 14.26 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,464.35. Trading volume was moderate at 461 million shares worth 7.87 trillion won ($5.89 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 482 to 379. Foreigners bought shares worth 137.9 billion won, while retail investors offload

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as US shares reached an all-time high overnight on growing optimism over the US economy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.84 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,474.19 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.36 percent higher to set an all-time high level. The S&P 500 advanced 0.22 percent, also reaching a fresh high. The tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.32 percent as well. In Seoul, top tech g

South Korea's producer prices moved up 0.1% on-month in December due to the higher cost of agricultural products and gas, the central bank said Tuesday. The producer price index, a major barometer of consumer inflation, came to 121.19 last month, up from 121.02 tallied in November, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. It marked the first rebound in three months, as the index fell 0.1 percent and 0.4 percent on-month in October and November, respectively. From a year earlier, it gai

The South Korean government said on Monday that it has decided to abolish a policy mandating twice-a-month breaks for large discount stores, citing the change as one intended for the convenience of the people. The Office for Government Policy Coordination held a civic-government discussion in Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul, where it narrowed down a number of potential changes to be made. These included allowing large supermarkets to take their two monthly obligatory breaks on weekdays and allowing them

Samsung Electronics is the largest employer with 124,000 workers, followed by Hyundai Motor, Kia

South Korean stocks lost ground on Monday as investors sat on the sidelines ahead of the release of fourth-quarter earnings reports. The Korean won edged up against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 8.39 points, or 0.34 percent, to 2,464.35. Trading volume was low at 376 million shares worth 8.25 trillion won ($6.1 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 575 to 295. Foreigners bought shares worth 295.3 billion won, while retail investors offloaded a net 244 bill

South Korea’s sovereign bond market is likely to be included among the top grade of global market indices, as abating inflation revives investors’ appetite for government bonds, according to economists from Standard Chartered Group on Friday. At the 2024 Global Research Briefing conference hosted by the Korean unit in Seoul, Arup Ghosh, Standard Chartered Bank's co-head of Asia rates research, predicted that Korean treasury bonds will take a positive turn this year due to the tr

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Monday on the back of gains from technology shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 4.81 points, or 0.19 percent, to 2,477.55 in the first 15 minutes of trading. South Korea's top tech giant Samsung Electronics moved up 0.67 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix gained 2.41 percent. Naver, which operates the country's top online portal, shot up 2.32 percent, with Kakao also advancing 1.74 percent. Pharmaceutical shares wer

South Korea's exports fell 1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of January due to a smaller number of working days, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $33.3 billion in the Jan. 1-20 period, compared with $33.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports fell 18.2 percent on-year to $35.9 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.6 billion. The number of working days came to 15.5 over the period, compared wit

South Korean stocks soared more than 1.3 percent Friday as big-cap chip shares rallied following an overnight tech boost on Wall Street. The local currency edged up against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 32.70 points, or 1.34 percent, to 2,472.74. Trading volume was slim at 499.2 million shares worth 9 trillion won ($6.7 billion), with winners outpacing losers 518 to 345. Foreigners turned to net buyers with a net purchase of 683.2 billion won worth of shar

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 31.68 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,471.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, all three major US indexes gained ground, led by the strong performance of tech giants, such as Apple and TSMC. In Seoul, most big-cap shares started in positive territory. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics soared 2.65 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix

Foreign investors continued the selling spree on the local stock market amid heightened geopolitical tensions both within and outside the Korean Peninsula, while the Korean won weakened against the dollar. The benchmark Kospi closed at 2,440.04 points Thursday. Though it dipped to the 2,430 range on the previous trading day, it managed to make a slight recovery backed by the 119.6 billion won ($82 million) net buying of retail investors. Yet foreigners continued the selling streak for five conse

South Korean stocks closed slightly higher Thursday as investors hunted bargains following a recent market decline triggered by diminished hope for the US Federal Reserve's rate cut. The Korean won gained against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 4.14 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,440.04. Trading volume was moderate at 555 million shares worth 8.12 trillion won ($6 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 444 to 421. Foreigners dumped shares worth 130.5 b

By Steve Brice How to invest in China is the question I am asked the most. China is facing a lot of headwinds. The economy has slowed dramatically from the post-COVID reopening boost at the turn of last year and geopolitical tensions are everywhere for people to see. Against this backdrop, I see a three-pronged approach to China investments. First, focus your China equity investments in areas that are less likely to face headwinds. Second, diversify to other parts of Asia. And third, conside