Foreigners continued to be net buyers of South Korean stocks and bonds in December, data showed Monday. According to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), foreigners picked up a net 4.36 trillion won worth of stocks listed on the Kospi and secondary Kosdaq markets last month. Foreigners continued to buy more shares than they sold for the second straight month since November. As of end-December, foreigners owned 785.23 trillion won worth of local stocks, which accounted for 28

South Korean stocks are likely to come under downward pressure next week amid concerns that the US Federal Reserve's tapering policy may be harsher than expected, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,954.89 points Friday, down 0.76 percent from last Thursday, the final session of last year. Stocks traded bearish this week, as investors are worried that the Fed's latest minutes supported aggressive rate hikes and a contraction of its balan

Seoul shares ended higher Friday spurred by gains in tech shares, though investors remain concerned about the Fed's looming tapering move. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.  The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 34.36 points, or 1.18 percent, to close at 2,954.89 points. The KOSPI rebounded from a 2.3 percent drop in the previous two sessions. The decline was attributable to Fed meeting minutes that suggested the US central bank may raise interest rates s

Seoul shares opened higher Friday as tech stocks advanced despite losses on Wall Street, but investors remain concerned about the US' looming tapering move. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 26.23 points, or 0.90 percent, to 2,946.76 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The main index rebounded from a 2.3 percent drop in the past two sessions. The decline was attributable to Fed meeting minutes that suggested the US central bank may raise interest rates sooner

South Korean stocks retreated for the second straight session Thursday, largely as the US Federal Reserve minutes stoked concerns that the Fed may push harsher-than-expected rate hikes. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) decreased 33.44 points, or 1.13 percent, to close at 2,920.53 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 774 million shares worth some 13.1 trillion won ($10.9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 665 to

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as the US Federal Reserve minutes stoked concerns that the Fed may push harsher-than-expected rate hikes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 13.69 points, or 0.46 percent, to 2,940.28 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a lackluster start, tracking the overnight Wall Street tech plunge. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite tumbled 3.34 percent overnight and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.07 per

South Korean stocks retreated Wednesday on worries the rising long-term bond yields in the United States may hasten the Federal Reserve's tapering move. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) declined 35.27 points, or 1.18 percent, to close at 2,953.97 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 774 million shares worth some 14.6 trillion won ($12.2 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 554 to 319. Institutions dumped a net 1.3

South Korea’s state-run banks are gearing up for major overseas business expansions this year, in line with the global economy adopting measures to return to normalcy from the pandemic. Korea Development Bank, the nation’s development financial lender that provides local firms risk capital, is likely to upgrade its current office in Frankfurt, Germany, to a branch by the end of the year. KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull visited Germany in August last year to prepare for the office’

Banks have started lending again as of Tuesday after months of temporarily suspending their household and mortgage loans, but strict standards from last year are likely to remain or get even tighter this year. NongHyup Bank, one of the five major commercial banks here, normalized lending of its entire household loan products, including mortgages on Monday. It has also decided to raise its lines of credit from the previous 20 million won ($16,700) to 100 million won. NongHyup had suspended le

SEJONG -- The average trading price of homes in Seoul posted 39.99 million won ($33,500) per 3.3 square meters, which is equivalent to 1 “pyeong,” at the end of 2021, data from KB Kookmin Bank and Naver showed. This indicates that the price for an 84-square-meter unit, a popular size in Korea, in the capital has surpassed 1 billion won on average. In the capital’s priciest district of Gangnam-gu, the average price peaked at an all-time high of 70 million won per 3.3 square m

The key benchmark Kospi and junior Kosdaq opened higher on Monday after their last trading session on Thursday, amid strong retail demand and foreign buying betting on a pandemic recovery. The Kospi, which ended at 2,977.65 for its final trading session in 2021, closed at 2,988.77, while the Kosdaq ended at 1,037.83, slightly up from 1,033.98 from the previous session. The rebound was backed by retail investors and foreigners, who snatched up a net 519 billion won ($435 million) and 266 billi

  South Korean stocks are expected to gather ground next week as an optimistic mood from solid US consumer spending during the end-of-the-year holiday season and other factors will likely whet investor appetite for risky assets.  The Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,977.65 on Thursday, the last trading day for this year, down 0.68 percent from last Friday.  The stocks moved in a tight range amid a lack of fresh leads as investors took to the sidelines on the final

The South Korean stock market finished the final session of the year with lackluster trading Thursday as investors took to the sidelines amid a lack of market-moving events. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 15.64 points, or 0.52 percent, to finish at 2,977.65. Trading volume was a bit slim at about 454.04 million shares worth 8.59 trillion won ($7.23 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 485 to 377. T

Upbeat corporate earnings and robust retail demand set the key benchmark Kospi and junior Kosdaq on track for their best year since trading began on the exchange decades ago. The stock market, which will open Monday after a three-day break, saw the Kospi hitting a record high of 3,305 on July 6, while the Kosdaq soared to trading around 1,000, a first in 20 years. The Kospi closed at 2977.65 on its final trading session in 2021, while the Kosdaq ended at 1033.98.　 Kospi-listed companies r

South Korean shares opened a tad higher Thursday as investors snapped up tech blue-chip bargains following a drop in the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 4.31 points, or 0.14 percent, to 2,997.60 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Tech and bio shares led the overall gains. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.63 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix spiked 3.15 percent. But auto, steel and chemicals were in negative terrain to keep the r