Frustrated by soaring housing prices, Millennials turn to virtual real estate

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, helped by robust economic data that fueled optimism for a quick economic rebound from the pandemic. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 19.61 points, or 0.64 percent, to 3,080.12 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a bullish start as South Korea's exports jumped 40.9 percent on-year in the first 20 days of August on high demand for chips, autos and petroleum goods. Top cap Samsung Electronics added 0.6

The year 2021 is seen as a period of transition as markets recover in the post-COVID rebound. Among the areas that will see an economic boost is the mergers and acquisitions market. What companies must recognize is that the M&A market in the post-COVID era is likely to unfold a slightly different reality than in the past. There will be a more explicit and extensive embodiment of environmental, social, and governance values in M&A deals. ESG and its impact on M&A The COVID-19 pande

S. Korea’s benchmark Kospi logs weakest return among G-20 bourses

South Korean stocks retreated more than 1 percent Friday as concerns about the possibility of the US Fed's earlier-than-expected tapering pulled down the stock prices. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) dipped 37.32 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 3,060.51 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 660 million shares worth some 16.1 trillion won ($13.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 829 to 70. Foreigners sold a

KakaoBank, South Korea’s largest digital-only bank, beat out Hyundai Motor, one of the world’s largest carmakers, in terms of market capitalization on Friday morning, becoming 8th most valuable company here. Shares of KakaoBank rose 1.85 percent to 92,300 won ($77.98) during the morning trade to surpass the 44 trillion won-mark before it closed at 1.09 percent lower to 91,000 won. Hyundai Motor shares, meanwhile, declined more than 1 percent to 204,000 won apiece, losing

South Korean stocks turned to losses late Friday morning as concerns about the possibility of US Fed's earlier-than-expected tapering pulled down stock prices. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) retreated 20.52 points, or 0.66 percent, to 3,077.31 points as of 11:20 a.m. Stocks opened with mild gains after the Kospi retreated nearly 2 percent Thursday, marking the biggest daily loss since Feb. 26 and the lowest closing price since early April. But stocks fell back below t

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday as bargain hunters sought oversold stocks after the benchmark index plunged by almost 2 percent the previous day. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 5.68 points, or 0.18 percent, to 3,103.51 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks rebounded after the Kospi retreated nearly 2 percent Thursday, marking biggest daily loss since Feb. 26, and the lowest closing price since early April. Investors remained wary for market j

Ko Kwang-nam invested 5 million won ($4,251) in cryptocurrencies but lost about half of his holdings as the nation's cryptocurrency markets showed signs of cooling down ahead of tougher regulations. As things stand, Ko, a 30-something office worker in Seoul, is likely to lose most of holdings because he made big bets on smaller or "alternative" coins. "I am not going to cut my losses because I believe that prices will go up again if regulatory issues are over," Ko said. Ab

Politicians have started to look closely into a snowballing fiasco of prepaid discount service Mergepoint on Thursday, raising expectations that it could help speed up the passage of a revision to the controversial e-payment law. The revised Electronic Financial Transaction Act (EFTA) has been pending at the National Assembly for nine months. Park Wan-joo, the policy committee chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, said the government and the ruling party were taking the case very seriously

South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 2 percent Thursday on concerns over the US Federal Reserve minutes that hinted at the possibility of an earlier-than-expected tapering timeline. The Korean won steeply fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) slumped 61.1 points, or 1.93 percent, to close at 3,097.83 points. The figure marks the index's biggest daily loss since Feb. 26, and the closing price marks the lowest since early April. Trading volume was mode

Increase seems fueled by dividend payouts, stock gifts to children

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as investor sentiment weakened over the US Federal Reserve minutes that hinted at the possibility of an earlier-than-expected tapering timeline. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 11.18 points, or 0.35 percent, to 3,147.75 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a lackluster start, tracking the overnight Wall Street stock plunge. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.08 percent as Federal Reserve minute

The routine of South Korean retail investors picking up massively offloaded shares by foreigners has continued since last week, but experts have been raising concerns over growing risks of their buying spree if the market remains bearish for a while. According to the Korea Exchange Wednesday, offshore investors pushed for a selling spree Tuesday for a sixth consecutive session since Aug. 9 on the nation’s main bourse market, dumping a net 7.46 trillion won ($6.38 billion). They offload

South Korean stocks rose Wednesday, snapping an eight-session losing streak as investors expected the US. Federal minutes would cause little ripples on tapering of stimulus policies. The Korean won rose against the US. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 15.84 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 3,158.93 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 614 million shares worth some 16.5 trillion won ($14.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 645 to 212.