Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop superstar BTS, is set to close a two-day subscription Tuesday for its initial public offering (IPO) next week in what could be the biggest stock sale in South Korea. Since Monday, the company has allowed retail investors to subscribe to around 1.43 million shares, or 20 percent of its 7.13 million new stocks to be issued under the IPO scheduled for Oct. 15. The IPO price is 135,000 won ($116). Reflecting the global popularity of the K-pop b

South Korean shares opened higher Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street amid investor optimism on the improved condition of US President Donald Trump. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 15.88 points, or 0.67 percent, to 2,373.88 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The main index tracked overnight gains on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.7 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index gained 2.3 percent. US stocks jumped as Trump,

Retail investors had submitted some 8.62 trillion won ($7.43 billion) in deposits during the first day of the two-day preorder session for stocks of Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind K-pop sensation BTS, reflecting explosive interest from retail investors, according to investment banking sources on Monday. It was more than the figure seen on the first day of public subscription of SK Biopharmaceuticals, that marked around 5.9 trillion won, but far less than Kakao Games with 16.4 trillion

The number of relatively affordable “jeonse” apartment rentals in Seoul has decreased in the past couple of years, as rent prices have escalated despite government measures to prevent this, data showed Monday. A jeonse rental involves a large lump-sum deposit but no monthly rental payments on a two-year lease. According to data released by the office of Rep. Kim Sang-hoon, jeonse rentals of 400 million won ($344,000) or under accounted for 46 percent of the long-term leasing marke

South Korean shares jumped by more than 1 percent to extend their winning streak to a fourth session Monday, as investor sentiment improved on hopes for fresh economic stimulus in the United States. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 30.11 points, or 1.29 percent, to close at 2,358.0. Trading volume was moderate at about 746 million shares worth some 10.5 trillion won ($9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 647 to 211.

South Korea’s stock market saw a combined 498 trillion won ($428 billion) worth of short selling transactions from 2015 to 2019, but a high bar exists for retail investors wishing to engage in the practice, a lawmaker said Monday. Ruling Democratic Party Rep. Lee Jung-mun said retail investors need greater access to short selling, and called for the introduction of legislation before the temporary ban on the short selling of listed shares here expires in March 2021. The annual volume o

Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop superstars BTS, attracted a promising amount of deposits from retail investors on the first day of a two-day subscription for its initial public offering (IPO) next week, probably the biggest share sale on the local market. The IPO subscription runs Monday to Tuesday, prior to the company's listing on Oct. 15. Small investors deposited some 8.6 trillion won ($7.4 billion) on the first day of their subscription. IPO managers said Big Hit E

South Korean shares opened a tad higher Monday, led by gains in automakers, after a long holiday. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.95 points, or 0.26 percent, to 2,333.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investor sentiment was boosted by hopes for fresh economic stimulus in the United States. Most large caps traded lower in Seoul. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.17 percent, with No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix shedding 0.6 percent. Hyundai Motor, the country's

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top telecom operator, is eyeing initial public offerings (IPO) for its digital service subsidiaries starting next year, analysts said Sunday, as the company seeks to realign its business structure. The move has been widely expected after the mobile carrier announced its IPO ambitions for its wide ranging digital units of internet protocol TV (IPTV) operator SK Broadband Co. to video streaming service operator Content Wavve Corp. in its second quarter earnings call

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US President Donald Trump's infection with the new coronavirus is expected to strengthen the dollar due to investors' chasing after safe assets, but financial markets are not likely to undergo high volatility, market experts here said Saturday. Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, sending Wall Street's main stock indexes lower. The dollar index, a gauge of the greenback's value against a basket of six foreign currencies, rose 0.14 percent. Analysts said Tr

South Korea has extended incentive programs for primary dealers in state bond auctions until the end of this year, as part of its efforts to stabilize the bond market, according to the finance ministry Saturday. The ministry launched the incentive programs for primary dealers, who buy state bonds directly from the government and sell them to the market, in April this year as it sought to stabilize the bond market in the face of a hike in sales of state bonds to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

K-pop agency’s IPO grabs global attention, experts say BTS’ worldwide fandom key to further value increase