South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Thursday, as the US Federal Reserve hinted at the chance of a December interest rate hike.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 1.87 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,140.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading.After holding a two-day policy meeting, the Fed left interest rates unchanged and said it would begin reducing its bond portfolio starting next month.Most large caps on the Seoul bourse traded mixed, with market kingpin Samsung Electronic

South Korean stocks ended lower Wednesday as investors took a wait-and-see stance before the results of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting, analysts said. The Korean won rose against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 3.85 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 2,412.2. Trade volume was moderate at 262 million shares worth 5.2 trillion won ($4.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 593 to 216.The local stock market opened a tad higher tracking overnight g

South Korean stocks traded slightly lower late Wednesday morning as investors took to the sidelines awaiting the results of the US Federal Reserve meeting. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 1.24 points, or 0.05 percent, to 2,414.81 as of 11:20 a.m.The two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting is slated to finish Wednesday (local time) probably providing clues on US monetary policy. Most large caps on the Seoul bourse traded mixed, with market kingpin Samsung Electroni

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Wednesday, following overnight gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1.9 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,417.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading.On Tuesday (local time), US stocks closed at fresh record highs, with the S&P 500 inching up 0.11 percent and the Dow gaining 0.18 percent.  Most large caps on the Seoul bourse traded mixed, with marking kingpin Samsung Electronics shedding 0.04 percent.SK hynix, a

South Korean biopharmaceutical maker Samsung BioLogics Co. has overhauled Swiss drug behemoth Lonza in terms of market value though its sales remain dwarfed by the latter's top line, industry sources said Wednesday.The market capitalization of Samsung BioLogics, a unit of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, came to 22.4 trillion won ($19.8 billion) as of Tuesday, compared with 22.1 trillion won for Lonza.Established in 1897, Lonza is a global pharmaceutical company that engages in both

South Korean stocks finished almost flat Tuesday as investors attempted to lock in recent gains, analysts said. The Korean won lost ground against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched down 2.16 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,416.05. Trade volume was slim at 248.4 million shares worth 5.2 trillion won ($4.3 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 409 to 366.Foreigners and institutions offloaded a net 143.6 billion won and 50.5 billion won worth of local

Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon set to meet with foreign investors in New York amid heightend tensions over North Korea threats.

South Korean stocks traded lower late Tuesday morning as institutions and foreigners offloaded large-cap tech stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 4.09 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,414.12 as of 11:20 a.m.Most large caps traded mixed, with tech shares in negative terrain.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics lost 0.57 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, was down 0.5 percent.The local currency was trading at 1,130.5 w

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Tuesday despite an overnight Wall Street rally as investors sought to lock in recent gains, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched down 1.8 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,416.41 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Monday (local time), the major US indexes hit record highs as investors were awaiting a Federal Reserve meeting scheduled for later this week. The Dow added 0.28 percent, and the S&P 500 was up 0.15 perc

South Korean stocks rallied more than 1 percent Monday, finishing at their highest level in more than six weeks, as Samsung Electronics, the country's top market cap, surged on the back of an upbeat earnings forecast. The Korean won rose against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 32.14 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 2,418.21, after soaring to as high as 2,418.24 at one point. Trade volume was moderate at 231.8 million shares worth 5.1 trillion won ($4.52 b

Hyundai Life Insurance, an insurance unit of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group, has recently cut a third of its employees due to mounting debt, an industry source said Monday.The insurance firm has let 120 out of 450 employees go under a voluntary retirement program, according to the source.Cumulative losses at the insurer stood at 220 billion won ($195 million) at the end of June. Still, the financial health of Hyundai Life Insurance has improved, with its risk-based capital ratio standing

South Korean stocks traded higher late Monday morning, hitting their highest level in more than a month, as they tracked gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index increased 23.61 points, or 0.99 percent, to 2,409.68 as of 11:20 a.m., after soaring to as high as 2,410.58 at one point. On Friday, US stocks closed at fresh record highs, with the S&P 500 inching up to surpass the 2,500-point mark for the first time. Most large caps improved, with market kingpin Sa

South Korean institutional investors have loaded up on tech stocks during a recent correction period in the local stock market, in contrast to foreigners' massive selling, data showed Monday.Local institutions' top pick was largest-cap Samsung Electronics Co. between July 24 and Friday, with their net buying of the tech giant reaching 1.35 trillion won ($1.19 billion), according to the data from the Korea Exchange. Institutions also purchased a net 551.5 billion won worth of chip giant SK hynix

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, as investors scooped up large-cap tech shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.39 points, or 0.39 percent, to 2,395.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics gained 1.03 percent, and SK hynix was 2.85 percent up.LG Chem, South Korea's top chemicals firm, advanced 0.37 percent, and AmorePacific, the country's No. 1 cosmetics firm, rose 1.4 percent. Hyundai Motor, No. 1 automaker, meanwhile, s

The United States Federal Open Market Committee’s decision this week to take another step back from yearslong quantitative easing is likely to ease uncertainties for the financial markets in South Korea, according to multiple analysts. The FOMC’s highly-anticipated decision to shrink the balance sheet, backed by signs of pick-up in US consumer inflation, will “lift some uncertainties out of the market,” wrote Kim Yu-kyum, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securitie