South Korean stocks opened higher on Tuesday despite overnight Wall Street losses, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 9.33 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,163.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading.On Monday (local time), US stocks dropped, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index dropping for a second straight session.Large-cap stocks on the Seoul bourse were mixed across the board. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics inched up 0.09 percent, and global chipmake

South Korean stocks ended lower Monday as foreign investors and institutions cashed in recent gains following overnight Wall Street losses, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index  declined 23.82 points, or 1 percent, to close at 2,357.87. Trade volume was moderate at 324 million shares worth 5.7 trillion won ($5.3 billion), with losers far outnumbering gainers 560 to 243.Institutional investors and foreigners offloaded a net

Stocks related to Alzheimer‘s disease remained high despite a slide in the main bourse index Monday, on the back of President Moon Jae-in’s fresh policy initiative to invest some 2 trillion won ($1.78 billion) in supporting Alzheimer‘s patients. Moon last week vowed to install more state-run clinics for dementia treatment, increase personnel to look after the patients and widen medical coverage offered by the state. In South Korea, some 725,000, or 1 in 10 elderly people,

The Korean mobile payment market, currently dominated by Samsung Pay, is predicted to heat up as more rivals are considering joining the race. Samsung Electronics’ payment service Samsung Pay, which was launched in August 2015, has now garnered more than 1 million subscribers here. The tech giant is expanding the application to its smartwatch Gear S3 and low-budget smartphones, the Galaxy A and J series. Samsung Pay’s smaller local rival LG Electronics launched a similar service, LG

South Korean shares retreated late Monday morning from the previous session, tracking an overnight decline on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 19.98 points, or 0.84 percent, to 2,361.71 as of 11:20 a.m.Most large caps traded lower, with market kingpin Samsung Electronics falling 1.61 percent and global chipmaker SK hynix losing 1.03 percent. Naver, the operator of the country's top Internet portal, slipped 5.31 percent.Financial and steel shares, however, were in

South Korea's top 30 business groups saw their cash reserves hit an all-time high in March as they remained reluctant to invest or hire amid the country's sluggish economy, data showed Monday.The combined retained earnings of 178 listed companies affiliated with the leading family-controlled conglomerates reached 691.5 trillion won ($615 billion) as of end-March, up nearly 10 trillion won from three months earlier, according to the data from conglomerate tracker Chaebul.com.Over the past five ye

South Korea's 10 most valuable companies account for nearly 37 percent of the country's stock market capitalization, but the portion has inched down this year, data showed Monday.The combined market value of Samsung Electronics Co. and the nine other largest-cap firms came to 569 trillion won ($506 billion) as of last Monday, up 14.7 percent from the end of last year, according to the data by the Korea Exchange. Over the cited period, the total market capitalization jumped 17.2 percent to 1,534

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as investors continued to take a breather amid the recent rally on the main bourse.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dipped 10.66 points, or 0.45 percent, to 2,371.03 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Large cap stocks were mixed across the board.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics was down 1.48 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, lost 1.54 percent. Top IT service firm Naver dipped 4.17 percent.Medical and financial shares, however, star

Housing prices in major metropolitan cities in South Korea have soared so far this month on-year, showing a stark contrast to drops in provincial regions, data showed Sunday. Busan, the second-largest city in Korea, showed an 11 percent surge in real estate prices on-year in June, the highest among cities in the nation, according to data by real estate market tracker Budongsan 114.The average apartment price per square meter in Busan reached 2.93 million won ($2,600), while the average in June l

South Korea's trade surplus with the United States has been on a steady decline for the past 13 months amid the Seoul government's efforts to reduce the imbalance, customs data showed Sunday.A trade surplus with the world's largest economy reached $915 million last month, more than halving from $2 billion tallied a year ago, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The monthly numbers have been falling since May last year when they backtracked 14.9 percent on-year to $1.78 bi

South Korean stocks closed at a record high Friday as investors' sentiment was boosted by receding global uncertainties, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 18.12 points, or 0.77 percent, to 2,381.69. Trade volume was high at 511 million shares worth 7.1 trillion won ($6.32 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 464 to 340.It marked the first time that the Kospi closed at 2,380 levels.The Kospi even hit 2,385.15 at

South Korean stocks traded higher late Friday morning, setting a new record during the session.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) shot up 19.92 points, or 0.84 percent, to 2,383.49 as of 11:20 a.m.The figure reached 2,384.21 at one point, setting a new record in terms of during-session numbers.Tech shares continued to gain ground, with Samsung Electronics advancing 2.66 percent and No. 1 chipmaker SK hynix advancing 2.29 percent.Top portal operator Naver also shot up 5.73 pe

The combined net profit of 162 investment advisory firms in South Korea plunged 85 percent on year in the 2016 fiscal year, hit by a sharp decline in commission fees and new contracts, data showed Friday. Competition was intensifying among investment advisory firms while new contracts declined during the April 2016-March 2017 period, forcing them to cut commission fees, the Financial Supervisory Service said in a statement.  The investment advisory firms reported a combined net profit of 96

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday on the back of strong gains in technology firms and steelmakers.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index  advanced 8.65 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,372.22 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares kicked off bullish, with Samsung Electronics rising 1.51 percent and SK hynix jumping 1.06 percent. LG Electronics moved up 2.07 percent.Steelmakers also opened higher, with No. 1 Posco increasing 2.04 percent and Hyundai Steel climbing 1.02 p