South Korean stocks opened over 1.4 percent lower Thursday in a broad sell-off on heightened concerns after Wall Street slumped overnight. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 33.92 points, or 1.44 percent, to 2,329.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In the US, the S&P 500 tumbled 1.43 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shot down 2.43 percent, posting its largest drop this year, on Google's parent Alphabet's disappointing cloud figures and a rise in Tre

South Korean stocks closed sharply lower Wednesday as battery shares plummeted amid forecasts that global demand for electric vehicles will slow down next year due to economic uncertainties. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 20.34 points, or 0.85 percent, to close at 2,363.17. Trading volume was a little slim at 435 million shares worth 7.7 trillion won ($5.7 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 613 to 267. Foreigners

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Wednesday as investors awaited the release of major corporate earnings reports. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 0.69 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,382.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street ended higher as investors' expectations grew ahead of the release of tech bluechips' earnings reports. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.62 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.93 percent and the S&

South Korean stocks rose more than 1.1 percent Tuesday to end a three-day losing streak thanks to sharp gains in big-cap tech and bio shares. The local currency gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 26.49 points, or 1.12 percent, to close at 2,383.51. Trading volume was a little slim at 437.5 million shares worth 7.8 trillion won ($5.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 630 to 249. Foreigners dumped a net 154.3 billion won worth of loc

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as US Treasury yields took a breather after soaring in the past few days. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.77 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,364.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street ended mixed as US Treasury yields dropped after hitting 5 percent and investors awaited earnings reports from tech giants, including Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com, later this week. In Seoul, market bellwether Sams

South Korean stocks closed sharply lower for the third consecutive day Monday as investors' risk-off sentiment escalated amid geopolitical uncertainties and high US bond yields. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 17.98 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,357.02. Trading volume was slim at 387.7 million shares worth 6.9 trillion won ($5.1 billion), with decliners beating gainers 593 to 283. "With no specific upward mome

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Monday amid geopolitical tensions and expectations of continued Fed rate woes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 1.75 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,373.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. All three major US indexes closed sharply lower Friday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and market expectations that the Fed will keep its key rates higher for longer. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.29 percent and t

South Korean stocks dropped by more than 1 percent to the lowest point in over seven months Friday amid woes over the US Federal Reserve's further monetary tightening. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 40.8 points, or 1.69 percent, to close at 2,375, marking the lowest level since March 14, when the Kospi finished at 2,348.97. Trading volume was slim at 507.2 million shares worth 8.8 trillion won ($6.5 billion), with decliner

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Friday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 35.19 points, or 1.46 percent, to 2,380.61 in the first 15 minutes of trading. After the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's hint at a further rate hike, US stocks closed sharply lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.75 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.96 percent. In Seoul, market heavyweights led the decline. Top-cap Samsu

South Korea’s exports of the dried seaweed gim grew 16 percent on-year during the first eight months of 2023 on solid overseas demand in line with the popularity of Korean food and culture, the Oceans Ministry said. Outbound shipments of gim came to $540.68 million in the January-August period, up from $466.1 million from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. In terms of volume, the country sold 24,862 tons of gim products during the cited period, up

South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 2 percent lower Thursday as escalating concerns over the Israel-Hamas conflict stoked risk aversion. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 46.8 points, or 1.9 percent, to close at 2,415.8, marking the lowest level since Oct. 10, when Kospi finished at 2,402.58. Trading volume was moderate at 739.5 million shares worth 8.7 trillion won ($6.3 billion), with decliners sharply outnumbering gainers

South Korean stocks started sharply lower Thursday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 40.73 points, or 1.65 percent, to 2,421.87 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Dragged down by mixed corporate earnings reports and escalating concerns over the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.98 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.62 percent. In Seoul, most shares opened bearish across the board. Mar

South Korean stocks finished almost flat Wednesday as better-than-expected US retail sales data sparked concerns over a further rate hike by the Federal Reserve. The Korean won increased against the US greenback. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched up 2.43 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 2,462.6. Trading volume was heavy at 899.4 million shares worth 8.75 trillion won ($6.48 billion), with losers slightly outnumbering gainers 475 to 390. Foreign inves

South Korea has begun the registration process for offshore financial firms to participate in interbank trades of the Korean won as part of its ongoing efforts to open up the domestic financial market to more foreign investors. Registered foreign institutions, or RFIs, will be able to participate in dollar-won spot exchanges, forex swap exchanges and forward exchanges from January next year, according to the revised Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Exchange Transaction Act that took effect on O

South Korean stocks started a tad lower amid Washington's updated exports control on chip exports to China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 6.74 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,453.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wall Street, US stocks finished mixed on better-than-expected retail sales data and the US government's latest rules to increase its restrictions on the sale of semiconductors from American companies to China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ro