South Korean stocks started slightly higher but soon lost ground on Monday, led by losses in techs and carmakers, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened 0.01 percent higher but soon shifted to negative territory, losing 9.8 points, or 0.49 percent, to 1,978.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics dropped 1.49 percent and LG Display, one of the biggest flat screen suppliers for Apple, fell 2.26 percent.Carmakers were also b

South Korean stocks closed 0.69 percent higher Friday as the fourth-quarter growth in China raised anticipations that the slowdown in Asia's largest economy has bottomed out, analysts said. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 13.59 points to finish at 1,987.86. Trading volume was heavy at 575.9 million shares worth 3.83 trillion won (US$3.63 billion) with gainers outpacing decliners 544 to 242. "It can be interpreted a

Lance Armstrong finally admitted it. He doped.He was light on the details and didn't name names. He mused that he might not have been caught if not for his comeback in 2009. And he was certain his “fate was sealed” when longtime friend, training partner and trusted lieutenant George Hincapie, who was along for the ride on all seven of Armstrong's Tour de France wins from 1999-2005, was forced to give him up to anti-doping authorities.But right from the start and more than two dozen times during

South Korean stocks traded 0.37 percent higher late Friday morning, led by gains in share of financial firms and insurance companies, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 7.28 points to 1,981.55 as of 11:20 a.m.No. 1 life insurer Samsung Life Insurance surged nearly 5 percent, with major financial firm Woori Finance Holdings jumping more than 4 percent. In contrast, tech and auto blue-chips lost ground. Top-cap Samsung Electronics edged down 0.3 percent an

Apple Inc. saw its global handset market share fall last month on weakening demand for the iPhone 5, its first long-term evolution phone, a report showed Friday.The Silicon Valley firm's market share reached 16 percent in December, down 3 percentage points from the previous month, according to the report by Hong Kong-based researcher Counterpoint Technology Market Research.The decline, which comes three months after the iPhone 5 launch, was partly attributed to North American and European mobile

South Korean stocks got off a strong start Friday, tracking the gains seen in U.S. peers overnight on better economic data, analyst said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 9.21 points or 0.47 percent to trade at 1,983.48 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Most shares trended in positive terrain, with utilities and brokerage houses leading the gain. State-run electricity provider Korea Electric Power Corp. jumped about 2.5 percent with No. 2 player Woori Investment

South Korean stocks closed marginally lower Thursday, as overseas investors continued to dump shares amid lingering economic jitters and a strong local currency, analysts said. The Korean won edged up against the U.S dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 3.18 points, or 0.16 percent, to finish at 1,974.27. Trading volume was heavy at 821.3 million shares worth 4.06 trillion won (US$ 3.84 billion) with losers outnumbering gainers 450 to 342. "Investor sentiment has b

A high-level Chinese official has called for talks with Japan over a disputed island chain, in an apparent attempt by Beijing to cool tensions that have seen both sides scramble jet fighters to the area in recent days. Jia Qinglin, the head of China's top political advisory body, made the gesture at a meeting in Beijing with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the official China Daily newspaper reported Thursday.Japan has steadfastly refused China's past calls to hold talks over the i

South Korean stocks traded 0.21 percent lower late Thursday mornings, as earlier gains in tech blue-chips and shipping lines pared down, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 4.12 points to 1,973.33 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics dipped 1.7 percent, with chipmaker SK hynix losing nearly 1 percent. The country's leading bulk shipping firm STX PanOcean slumped around 4 percent. In contrast, autos and brokerage houses advanced, with indust

A Seoul court has brought the law that punishes conscientious objectors before the Constitutional Court, according to court officials Thursday.It is the eighth time a local court has challenged the article of the military service law that punishes people who refuse to serve compulsory military service due to their political or religious beliefs.  All able-bodied men have been required to serve about two years in the military or other public sectors since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Under