The agriculture ministry said Thursday it will step up monitoring of food sector prices, as part of the government's efforts to tame inflation. To that end, the ministry said it will appoint personnel to monitor the prices of 28 key food items. "Prices of agricultural and fishery products are showing signs of decreasing since the end of October, but there are still hurdles, including deteriorating weather conditions and the outbreak of an animal disease," Vice Agricultural Ministe

South Korean stocks opened flat Thursday as investors took to the sidelines gauging the Federal Reserve's future rate policy in the wake of the country's short selling ban. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.04 point, or 0.00 percent, to 2,421.58 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks closed mixed overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.12 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rising 0.08 percent, as investors largely sat on the sidelines while

Recent reports of bedbug infestations in various public spaces, including a university dormitory, low-cost apartments, and saunas, have raised alarms of an impending nationwide outbreak across South Korea, prompting the government to launch a multi-agency task force on Tuesday. But, it turns out bedbugs are causing more than just itchy bites -- they're now making waves in the South Korean stock market, as savvy investors are bullish on pesticide manufacturers. On Tuesday, agrochemical compa

The Korea-Indonesia Cooperation Forum, under the theme "K-Wave & I-Wave, Together for the Future," will take place on Nov. 30 in Jakarta to commemorate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. Organized by Herald Corp., the publisher of The Korea Herald and Herald Business, jointly with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Embassy of Indonesia in Korea, the Embassy of Korea in Indonesia, and the Indonesian Employers’ Association, this forum aims to

South Korean stocks ended lower Wednesday amid lingering woes over the country's ban on short selling. The local currency gained ground against the greenback. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 22.34 points, or 0.91 percent, to close at 2,421.62. Trading volume was moderate at 461.3 million shares worth 7.54 trillion won ($5.75 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 498 to 378. After opening higher, the Kospi climbed as high as nearly 1 percent in

South Korea has been removed from the US Treasury Department’s list of trading partners that it closely monitors for unfair foreign exchange practices, according to the department’s announcement Tuesday. It is the first time since 2016 for Korea to be pulled from the list. In its biannual report to the US Congress, the US Treasury placed six economies on its "monitoring list" -- China, Germany, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan -- and removed South Korea and Switzer

South Korea's industry ministry said Wednesday it plans to inject 78 trillion won ($59.7 billion) by the end of this year in trade financing to keep outbound shipments on the recovery track. South Korea's exports moved up on-year for the first time in 13 months in October, driven by robust automobile shipments, along with signs of improvement in the chip sector. The fund will be raised by state-run institutions, including the Korea Trade Insurance Corp. and Export-Import Bank of Korea,

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street over a slide in Treasury yields there. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 10.84 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,454.80 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks closed higher overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average edging up 0.2 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rising 0.9 percent amid an easing of Treasury yields there. In Seoul, battery and bio-related shares opened stronger, with l

South Korea logged a current account surplus for the fifth straight month in September on the back of a widened trade surplus and increased dividend income from overseas, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's current account surplus reached $5.42 billion in September, following the surplus of $4.98 billion the previous month, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. September's surplus came as the country's trade balance has remained in the black for six s

South Korean stocks ended more than 2.3 percent lower Tuesday as investors took profit following the previous session's sharpest-ever daily gains prompted by the country's reimposing of a ban on stock short selling. The local currency sharply fell against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index sank 58.41 points, or 2.33 percent, to close at 2,433.96, bringing its four-session winning streak to a close. Trading volume was moderate at 447.6 million shares worth 11

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday as investors took profit following the previous session's sharpest-ever daily gains prompted by the country's reimposing of a ban on stock short selling. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 42.25 points, or 1.69 percent, to 2,460.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Monday, the Kospi logged its largest daily gain of 134.03 points, or 5.66 percent, buoyed by the short selling ban that will be in place by the end of June 2024

Foreign investors sold a net 3.1 trillion won ($2.39 billion) worth of South Korean stocks last month, extending their selling spree to a third consecutive month, data showed Tuesday. Foreigners owned 624.8 trillion won worth of local stocks, accounting for 27.2 percent of total market capitalization after the sell-off, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. By country, Norway was the top net buyer of local stocks last month, net purchasing 600 billion won worth of shares,

South Korean stocks surged over 5.6 percent Monday as the country reimposed a ban on stock short selling to crack down on illegal market practices by global investment banks. The local currency sharply rose against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index soared 134.03 points, or 5.66 percent, to close at 2,502.37, extending its winning streak to a fourth day. Tech and battery-related stocks led the overall market advance. Trading volume was high at 518.4 million shares wor

The Federal Reserve's rate hike may not have come to an end given strong economic performance, although long-term neutral interest rate will come down to a 2 percent range, former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said Monday. Early this month, the Fed held its benchmark lending rate steady between 5.25 and 5.50 percent for a second consecutive time as it keeps striving to bring down inflation to its 2-percent target. But it left open the possibility of a rate change later to achieve &

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as the country launched a temporary ban on stock short selling to crack down on illegal market practices by global investment banks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 48.16 points, or 2.03 percent, to 2,416.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Sunday, the Financial Services Commission announced the ban on stock short selling, effective starting Monday through the end of June 2024, citing concerns about growing market volatility