South Korea’s bourse operator Korea Exchange (KRX) said Tuesday it will introduce weekly options contracts based on the Kospi 200 index on Sept. 23, in a bid to boost the local derivatives market. The Kospi 200 options will be introduced every Thursday and expire a week later. The new product will contribute to the diversity of options contracts on Kospi 200, comprised of the largest listed common stocks traded on the nation’s main bourse and widely used as a benchmark, according to

Daily stock turnover in South Korea dropped to the lowest level of the year in July, data showed Sunday, apparently reflecting investor sentiments spooked by escalating trade disputes between the United States and China, as well as South Korea's own trade haggling with Japan.The daily trading volume of local stocks came to some 8.6 trillion won ($7.1 billion) last month, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX), the operator of the Seoul bourse. The reading marks a drop of 4 percent from the same m

Seoul stocks may face increased volatility next week, largely depending on the development of an ongoing US-China trade row, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 0.9 percent at 1,937.75 points on Friday helped by strong export data in China and expectations that the United States and China will resume their negotiations in September.This week, the main index shed 3 percent as investors remained jittery over the escalating trade feud between Was

Investors are flocking to high-risk leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds in South Korea, resulting in an increase in the daily average trading volume.According to the stock market operator Korea Exchange, the combined daily average trading volume of leveraged and inverse ETFs from July 26 to Thursday amounted to nearly 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion). It is 81.3 percent higher compared to the corresponding figure of 701.7 billion won in June.  A leveraged ETF uses financial derivativ

South Korea's central bank again hinted at a possible rate reduction in the near future Thursday, saying the escalating trade dispute between the United States and China, as well as the country's own trade conflict with Japan, may put additional downward pressure on Asia's fourth-largest economy.The Bank of Korea "plans to maintain the easing stance of its monetary policy as upward pressure on price increases is expected to remain weak, while the growth of the local economy remains slow,&qu

Seoul stocks extended gains late Thursday morning although investors remain wary over the worsening US-China trade war and Japan's export curbs. The won gained against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 20.57 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,930.28 as of 11:20 a.m. The main index shed 6.3 percent in the past six sessions. Japan's trade ministry on Wednesday officially announced the exclusion of South Korea from its "whitelist" of trusted trading partners tha

South Korean shares fell for the sixth consecutive session on Wednesday as market sentiment still remained fragile over escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, despite some signs of calm after China moved to stabilize its currency. The Korean won held steady against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index declined 7.79 points, or 0.41 percent, to 1,909.71, marking the lowest level since Feb. 18, 2016, when the index stood at 1,908.84.It was the first time

South Korea’s financial authorities said Wednesday they plan to launch a consultative body by the end of the month to help local firms seeking mergers and acquisitions that could reduce the country’s dependency on imported materials from Japan. The plan is in line with the government’s contingency plans -- announced a few days ago in response to Japan’s decision to remove Korea from its list of trusted trade partners -- including financial support for firms eyeing a foray

CarrieSoft announced Tuesday that it plans to get listed on South Korea’s secondary bourse Kosdaq on Aug. 23.The firm first began with the YouTube channel “Carrie and Toys” in 2014 and exclusively produces kids’ contents. It is home to the iconic character “Carrie,” who reviews popular toys and goods. The character has evolved and now has own branded products.  Last year, CarrieSoft’s sales reached 10 billion won ($8.25 million) with an operating lo

Market anxiety escalates with Korea-Japan, US-China trade wars, NK missile tests

The South Korean won continued to sink to new lows against the US dollar Tuesday amid escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies that now appear to be set to include a currency war.After opening at 1,220.00 won, the local currency was changing hands at 1,217.45 won with the US dollar as of 9:37 a.m., down 2.15 won from the previous session's close.On Monday, the won closed at 1,215.30 to the dollar, the lowest in over three years.The won's continued decline came after Be

South Korea's current account surplus reached an eight-month high in June on a goods account surplus and record high returns from foreign investment, central bank data showed Tuesday.The country's current account surplus came to $6.38 billion in the month, the highest since October when the country posted a $9.35 billion surplus, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The reading also marks the second consecutive month of surplus after the country posted its first current acco

South Korea’s secondary bourse Kosdaq sank below the psychologically important 600-point threshold for the first time in 17 months on Monday, triggering the stock exchange to temporarily halt trading as investor sentiment plummeted due to the escalating trade spat between Seoul and Tokyo. The Korean won also traded at a three-year low against the US dollar, breaking its own significant 1,200-won mark. It closed at 1,215.30 won after hitting 1218.30 won at 10:40 a.m., marking its lowest lev

Program trading of shares listed on South Korea's secondary Kosdaq market was briefly halted Monday as the market's index plunged over global trade disputes, the bourse's operator said.  Program trading was halted for five minutes starting at 2:09 p.m. after the Kosdaq index slipped more than 6 percent, the Korea Exchange said in a statement. It was the first time since June 24, 2016, that the "sidecar" was activated according to exchange rules.South Korea's currency and stocks lo

Ruling party, govt agree to add at least W1tr to next year’s state budget in counteraction