South Korean stocks opened over 1.4 percent lower Thursday in a broad sell-off on heightened concerns after Wall Street slumped overnight. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 33.92 points, or 1.44 percent, to 2,329.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In the US, the S&P 500 tumbled 1.43 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shot down 2.43 percent, posting its largest drop this year, on Google's parent Alphabet's disappointing cloud figures and a rise in Tre

South Korean stocks closed sharply lower Wednesday as battery shares plummeted amid forecasts that global demand for electric vehicles will slow down next year due to economic uncertainties. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 20.34 points, or 0.85 percent, to close at 2,363.17. Trading volume was a little slim at 435 million shares worth 7.7 trillion won ($5.7 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 613 to 267. Foreigners

The 27th Economic Development Cooperation Fund Annual Workshop, hosted by the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank), kicked off Tuesday, inviting a total of 15 government officials from 14 developing countries. The EDCF Annual Workshop, a four-day event, aims to introduce South Korea’s EDCF financing to public officials around the world. The EDCF, an aid loan funded by the Korean government, was launched in 1987 under an official development assistance initiative. Eximbank is in

South Korea's business sentiment index fell in November amid concerns that tensions in the Middle East stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict may add to inflationary pressure and production costs here, a poll showed Wednesday. The business survey index for 364 out of the country's top 600 companies by sales stood at 90.1 for next month, down 0.5 point from October, according to the monthly poll by the Federation of Korean Industries. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber opti

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Wednesday as investors awaited the release of major corporate earnings reports. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 0.69 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,382.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street ended higher as investors' expectations grew ahead of the release of tech bluechips' earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.62 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.93 percent and the S&

South Korea's consumer sentiment slid for the third straight month in October amid woes over an economic slowdown, slumping exports and weakened spending power, a central bank poll showed Wednesday. The composite consumer sentiment index stood at 98.1 in October, down from 99.7 the previous month, marking the lowest since May this year, when the comparable figure was 98, according to the survey conducted by the Bank of Korea. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists. The cen

South Korean stocks rose more than 1.1 percent Tuesday to end a three-day losing streak thanks to sharp gains in big-cap tech and bio shares. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 26.49 points, or 1.12 percent, to close at 2,383.51. Trading volume was a little slim at 437.5 million shares worth 7.8 trillion won ($5.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 630 to 249. Foreigners dumped a net 154.3 billion won worth of loc

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as US Treasury yields took a breather after soaring in the past few days. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.77 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,364.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street ended mixed as US Treasury yields dropped after hitting 5 percent and investors awaited earnings reports from tech giants, including Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com, later this week. In Seoul, market bellwether Sams

South Korea's industry ministry said Tuesday the government has formally accepted an agreement by the World Trade Organization aimed at banning subsidies for illegal fishing. The agreement centers on prohibiting subsidies that contribute to overfishing and other illegal, unregulated fishing so as to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks and the industry. Following South Korea's approval, the total number of WTO members that have formally endorsed the rule reached 51, taking up 46 pe

South Korean stocks closed sharply lower for the third consecutive day Monday as investors' risk-off sentiment escalated amid geopolitical uncertainties and high US bond yields. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 17.98 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,357.02. Trading volume was slim at 387.7 million shares worth 6.9 trillion won ($5.1 billion), with decliners beating gainers 593 to 283. "With no specific upward mome

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea said Monday its delegation will travel to Washington this week to meet with key US government officials and lawmakers. The three-day trip to the United States starting Tuesday is part of the annual business-promotion program it calls “Doorknock.” The delegation will meet with officials of the Joe Biden administration as well as members of the US Congress to share insights about US-South Korea economic ties. The AmCham Korea delegation is expe

The chief of South Korea's central bank said Monday that the bank needs to maintain its restrictive monetary policy for a considerable time as uncertainties over inflation are rising. During a parliamentary inspection, Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said consumer price growth is expected to slow, but remain above the target rate of 2 percent amid increased volatility in global oil prices and currency rates following the Israel-Hamas conflict. "Given these situations, uncertainties

South Korea's economy will post a mild recovery amid a slowdown in inflation but face heightened uncertainties amid geopolitical tensions and higher rates in major economies, the central bank said Monday. In a report to lawmakers for parliamentary inspection, the Bank of Korea said the economy will post a mild recovery into next year as a slump in exports eases, while private spending remains relatively weak. In May, the bank cut its growth projection for Asia's fourth-largest economy

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Monday amid geopolitical tensions and expectations of continued Fed rate woes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 1.75 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,373.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. All three major US indexes closed sharply lower Friday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and market expectations that the Fed will keep its key rates higher for longer. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.29 percent and t

South Korea's exports rose 4.6 percent on-year in the first 20 days of October on robust shipments of cars and petroleum products, data showed Monday. The country's outbound shipments reached $33.8 billion in the Oct. 1-20 period, compared with $32.3 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports rose 0.6 percent on-year to $37.6 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $3.74 billion. Exports fell for the 12th month in a