South Korean stocks ended higher Tuesday, led by steel and chemical companies, as investor sentiment was boosted by China's economic stimulus plan and hopes for an end to the United States' aggressive monetary tightening. The local currency advanced against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.93 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 2,636.46, the third consecutive rise. Trading volume was a bit heavy at 713.46 million shares worth 18.85 trillion won ($1

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Tuesday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains, as investors are awaiting quarterly earnings reports by major companies and the rate-setting meeting in the United States. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 2.79 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,631.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks closed higher in the run-up to the Federal Reserve's policy meeting this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average grew 0.52 percent

South Korean stocks ended higher Monday as major battery and steel shares rose sharply amid expectations for further industry growth, with a focus on corporate earnings and the United States' upcoming rate-setting meeting. The local currency advanced against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 18.77 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 2,628.53, the second consecutive rise. Trading volume was a bit heavy at 522.67 million shares worth 18.81 trillion won ($14

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday, as big-cap tech shares lost ground ahead of the release of major corporate earnings reports. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 11.49 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,598.27 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investors are awaiting the quarterly results of major companies this week, including chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Eyes are also on the Federal Reserve's two-day rate-setting meeting set to begin Tuesday, where th

South Korean stocks finished slightly higher Friday on strong individual buying amid a slump in the semiconductor sector. The local currency sharply lost ground against the US dollar. Despite a weak start, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 9.53 points, or 0.37 percent, to finish at 2,609.76. Trading volume was moderate at 491.8 million shares worth 12 trillion won ($9.3 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 507 to 353. Retail investors scooped up a net 316.6 billion won

Shares of SK Chemicals soared sharply Friday, a day after the chemicals and drug developer announced that it signed a contract manufacturing deal for British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company AstraZeneca’s diabetes medicines. Its shares started at 79,800 won ($62.27) as of 9 a.m., a 23 percent jump from the previous trading day. In the afternoon, the stocks were traded slightly lower at 72,200 won, still up around 11 percent from a day ago. In its regulatory fi

South Korean battery materials company EcoPro, the red-hot stock in the nation’s secondary tech-laden Kosdaq, is highly likely to be included in the MSCI Korea Index in August, Samsung Securities wrote in a recent report published Friday. EcoPro is a holdings firm with units EcoPro BM and EcoPro HN under its wings. Running high on the recent electric vehicle boom, the cathode materials maker saw its shares soar to a record high of 1.14 million ($890.28) Wednesday, almost a 10-fold jump fro

South Korean stocks started lower Friday as investors took a cautious stance amid strong US jobs data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 24.37 points, or 0.94 percent, to 2,575.86 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.47 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.05 percent. The latest US Labor Department data showed that weekly jobless claims fell again last week, suggesting the Federal Reserve wi

Seoul shares ended lower Thursday, bucking gains on Wall Street, as investors remain cautious on whether the US Federal Reserve will raise rates further to tame inflation. The South Korean won fell against the dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 8.01 points, or 0.31 percent, to close at 2,600.23. Trading volume was moderate at 362.59 million shares worth 9.3 trillion won ($7.3 billion), with gainers outpacing decliners 446 to 417. Institutions sold a net 319 billion won

Seoul shares opened lower Thursday, bucking gains on Wall Street, as investors remain concerned over the US Federal Reserve's additional rate hikes to tame inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 15.79 points, or 0.61 percent, to 2,592.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.31 percent to 35,061.21 points, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.03 percent to 14,358.02. Investors see no major risk of recessi

Seoul shares ended almost flat Wednesday as investors remain watchful on whether the Federal Reserve will continue its aggressive rate hikes this year to tame inflation. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.62 points, or 0.02 percent, to close at 2,608.24. Trading volume was moderate at 433.9 million shares worth 11 trillion won ($9.5 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 599 to 272. Institutions and foreigners offloaded a combine

Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, as investors remain concerned over the Federal Reserve's additional rate hikes to tame inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.46 point, or 0.02 percent, to 2,608.08 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1 percent to 34,951.93 points, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8 percent to 14,353.64. Investors are keeping an eye on the US central

Seoul shares finished lower Tuesday as lingering rate hike fears spurred sell-offs among institutions and foreign investors. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 11.38 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at 2,607.62. Trading volume was moderate at 485.85 million shares worth 11.75 trillion won ($9.32 billion), with decliners far outpacing gainers 723 to 171. Institutions and foreigners offloaded a net 300.02 billion won and 187.17 billion

The South Korean stock market got off to a weak start Tuesday, despite overnight Wall Street gains led by big tech companies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 2.62 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,616.38 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting its highest closing level in 2023, as the market anticipated more upbeat second-quarter earnings results following strong performances from some major banks. US

Seoul shares ended lower Monday, breaking their four-day winning streak amid profit-taking moves and lingering rate hike concerns. The South Korean won declined against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 9.3 points, or 0.35 percent, to finish at 2,619. Trading volume was moderate at 540.02 million shares worth 11.48 trillion won ($9.06 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 511 to 370. Institutions and foreigners offloaded a net 232.29 b