South Korean stocks ended sharply higher on Tuesday as institutions and foreigners picked up issues ahead of corporate earnings of major companies this week. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 30.24 points, or 1.36 percent, to close at 2,249.95 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 572.65 million shares worth some 7.13 trillion won ($5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 800 to 88. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industr

South Korean shares opened higher Tuesday, tracking rallies on Wall Street that jumped ahead of corporate earnings announcements by major firms this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 25.84 points, or 1.16 percent, to 2,245.55 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.86 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 3.43 percent as investors geared up for third-quarter corporate earnings of such big-name firms as N

South Korea's stock market advanced for a second consecutive session on Monday as investors went on the hunt for undervalued stocks. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 7.16 points, or 0.32 percent, to close at 2,219.71 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 487 million shares worth some 6.4 trillion won ($4.5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 538 to 322. Foreigners bought a net 264 bil

South Korean stocks opened steeply lower Monday as the recent plunge on Wall Street spooked local investors. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had dropped 29.1 points, or 1.32 percent, to 2,183.45 as of 9:17 a.m. On Friday, the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 3.08 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.34 percent amid woes over higher inflation. The S&P 500 retreated 2.37 percent. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics shed 0.53 percent, and chip giant SK

A fire Saturday at a Kakao data center in Pangyo, south of Seoul, has led to a server outage affecting the KakaoTalk messenger app, along with other apps such as Kakao T, Kakao Map, Kakao Metro, Kakao Webtoon, Kakao Bank, Kakao-owned portal Daum and music streaming service Melon. The internet connection for the apps has been unavailable since 3:30 p.m. "There has been a fire at SK C&C data center since 3:30 p.m. Work has begun to put down the fire, but we are uncertain when the fir

South Korean stocks rebounded sharply Friday, as investors shook off hotter-than-expected US inflation data and bet price increases would soon peak. The local currency gained ground against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 49.68 points, or 2.3 percent, to end at 2,212.55. The index lost 20.29 points, or 0.9 percent, from last week's closing of 2,232.84. Trading volume was moderate at 501 million shares worth 7.01 trillion won ($4.89 billion), with

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, tracking an overnight surge on Wall Street as investors shook off hotter-than-expected inflation data and bet price increases would soon peak. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 34.03 points, or 1.57 percent, to 2,196.90 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street made a remarkable turnaround to close higher, after plunging significantly earlier in the session, as investors shrugged off persistently higher-than-e

Samsung Electronics stocks were the most popular among senior officials serving as vice ministers or in higher positions for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, according to a local data firm report released Thursday. According to Leaders Index, 67 out of 118 officials revealed in their financial disclosures that they were holding shares of either public or private companies, including stocks held by such immediate family members as spouse and children, as of Friday last week. Samsung Electronics,

South Korean stocks finished down Thursday amid persistent concerns that combative monetary tightening policies in major economies could drag the global economy into a recession. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 39.60 points, or 1.8 percent, to end at 2,162.87. Trading volume was moderate at 781 million shares worth 6.96 trillion won ($4.86 billion), with losers far outpacing gainers 842 to 73. Institutions offload

Scandal-ridden biotechnology firm SillaJen’s shares surged by nearly 30 percent on Thursday a day after South Korea’s sole bourse operator decided to resume its trading on the secondary index. The firm's shares jumped nearly 30 percent from the previous closing to 10,850 won ($7.58), effectively ending its 29 months of suspension and quickly picking up speed from its opening price of 8,380 won. Though the closing price on the last trading day before its suspension -- May 4, 2020 --

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday amid persistent concerns over a global economic recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 9.21 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,193.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street closed slightly down ahead of the release of the September consumer price index, one of the key indicators that would determine the pace of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy tightening going forward. Minutes from the Fed's Septe

Korea’s sole bourse operator’s decision to keep the troubled biotech firm listed on the Kosdaq prompts divided response from the market

Once envious employee stock ownership plans turn into investment disasters as shares crash

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as investors awaited the Bank of Korea (BOK)'s decision on the policy rate later in the day amid woes over a global economic recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 7.74 points, or 0.35 percent, to 2,184.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading. South Korea's central bank will decide on whether to deliver another outsized rate hike to combat inflation. The BOK has been lifting its policy rate since August last year

South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 2 percent on Tuesday as investors sold off tech, auto and other stocks amid concerns that monetary tightening and geopolitical risks could tip the global economy into a recession. The Korean won also ended sharply lower against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 40.77 points, or 1.83 percent, to end at 2,192.07. Trading volume was moderate at 846.31 million shares worth 7.75 trillion won ($5.42 billion), with losers far