The amount of money local retail investors have poured in the local and overseas stock markets has reached more than 100 trillion won ($85.2 billion), according to data released by the nation’s sole securities operator Korean Exchange on Thursday. Individual traders bought a total of 55.9 trillion won in the local market this year as of Wednesday. Of the total, 43.5 trillion won went to the main bourse Kospi, and the rest, or 12.4 trillion won, to the tech-heavy Kosdaq. Investor deposit

South Korean stocks decreased more than 1 percent Thursday, as more investors turned to profit-taking that stemmed from tech valuation concerns. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 29.75 points, or 1.22 percent, to close at 2,406.17. Trading volume was moderate at about 834 million shares worth some 13.9 trillion won ($11.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 655 to 200. Foreigners sold a net 126 billion won, whil

To facilitate remote working amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s financial watchdog will ease restrictions on external access to network systems at local financial companies.  The Financial Supervisory Service said Thursday it would allow employees to stay connected to the company’s internal communication software throughout the day by revising the regulations on the supervision of electronic finance, which stipulate the so-called “network separation syst

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, taking a cue from overnight losses on Wall Street that stemmed from tech valuation concerns. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 11.69 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,424.23 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Despite the US Federal Reserve's signal to keep the near-zero rate till 2023, the local stock market remained bearish. The Nasdaq Composite retreated 1.25 percent to 11,050.47 points on Wednesday (New York time). The S&P 50

South Korean stocks ended their four-session winning streak on Wednesday, as investors rushed to reap profits from the recent stock rally. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 7.66 points, or 0.31 percent, to close at 2,435.92. Trading volume was moderate at about 755 million shares worth some 11.6 trillion won ($9.9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 543 to 308.' Institutions dumped a net 328 b

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South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Wednesday as investors attempted to cash in recent gains. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 3.55 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,440.03 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index came to a muted start after a 0.65 percent gain in the previous session hitting an over two-year high. In Seoul, most large caps traded lower. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.49 percent, with No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix shedding 1.59 percent. In

South Korean shares extended their winning streak to a fourth session on Tuesday to close at a more than two-year high, helped by advances in tech heavyweights and progress in coronavirus vaccine development. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 15.67 points, or 0.65 percent, to close at 2,443.58. Tuesday's closing marks the highest since June 12, 2018, when the index closed at 2,468.83 points. Trading volume was moderate at

Amid the snowballing volume of personal credit loans taken out for stock investments, Korea’s securities firms are increasingly suspending their credit financing services, local industry sources said Tuesday. Samsung Securities, the brokerage arm of the Samsung conglomerate, announced a day earlier that it would temporarily stop the purchase of credit loans as the firm had reached its limit on credit offerings. This marked the second time since July 22 that Samsung put the brakes on its

The number of consumer complaints brought against local financial companies jumped 15 percent on-year in the first-half of 2020, mainly related to the mis-selling of private equity funds and a surge in requests for loans to counter the coronavirus impact, data showed Tuesday.  According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service, the financial watchdog received a total of 45,922 consumer complaints against securities firms, commercial banks, insurance companies and credit card operat

South Korean shares open slightly higher Tuesday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains that stemmed from brisk M&A deals and progress in coronavirus vaccine development. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.73 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,430.64 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investor sentiment was boosted by progress made in large acquisition deals by large firms for tech and bio blue chips, including the video-sharing app TikTok and drugmaker Immunomedics

South Korean shares jumped more than 1 percent Monday on the back of advances in tech shares and eased social distancing measures against the new coronavirus in the country. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 31.22 points, or 1.3 percent, to close at 2,427.91. Trading volume was moderate at about 953 million shares worth some 11.9 trillion won ($10.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 645 to 218. Foreigners bought a

South Korean investors have poured over 150 trillion won ($126.71 billion) into initial public offerings this year, 1.5 times more than last year, reflecting investors’ thirst for profit at a time of ultralow interest rates and high liquidity in the market, industry sources said Monday. Investor deposits for IPO subscription in the local market came to 150.9 trillion won from January to Thursday. In contrast, the figure for the whole of last year stood at 99.4 trillion won. Despite the

The Korea Herald is running a regular contribution series written by senior investment strategists at Standard Chartered Group Wealth Management. -- Ed. The US dollar has started to decline in value over the past few months, with the benchmark US dollar Index down about 9 percent since its March 2020 peak. This naturally raises questions on whether this US dollar weakness can extend, and whether this has broader implications for investors. We are of the view that there is room for the doll