South Korean stocks closed lower for the second straight day Wednesday, as investors were cautious to make risky bets ahead of the earnings season set to kick off next week. The local currency inched up against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 11.07 points, or 0.47 percent, to 2,368.32. Trading volume was moderate at 528.3 million shares worth 5.43 trillion won...

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, as concerns over corporate earnings, set to be released starting next week, weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 15.37 points, or 0.65 percent, to trade at 2,364.02 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Companies are expected to announce their fourth-quarter earnings results beginning next week, with the ma...

South Korean stocks snapped their nine-day winning streak Tuesday, as investors took a breather from recent rallies and went on a profit-taking dive, analysts said. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 20.47 points, or 0.85 percent, to finish at 2,379.39. Trading volume was moderate at 529.4 million shares worth 6.2 trillion won...

South Korean stocks opened marginally higher Tuesday, as investors took a breather from recent rallies ahead of the earnings reports. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 3.22 points, or 0.13 percent, to trade at 2,403.08 in the first 15 minutes of trading. After opening higher, the main index had briefly turned lower before reverting to the green, in line with analysts' predi...

South Korean stocks closed 0.58 percent higher Monday, extending their rally to a ninth session, as eased US inflation outlook boosted investor appetite for risky assets ahead of the earnings season. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 13.77 points to close at 2,399.86. Trading volume was moderate at 509.6 million shares worth 6...

The number of counterfeit South Korean banknotes touched a record low in 2022, amid a surge in cashless transactions fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, the Bank of Korea said Monday. The number of counterfeit banknotes identified stood at 150 last year, down from the previous record low of 176 a year before. Last year’s number was the lowest ever since the central bank started compiling relate...

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, following the gains on Wall Street last week amid eased inflation in the United States that raised hopes for the Federal Reserve to slow its interest rate hikes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 7.36 points, or 0.31 percent, to 2,393.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. All major US stock indexes closed higher Friday, with the ...

BOK juggles high inflation, economic slowdown

The Bank of Korea continued a streak of seven consecutive rate hikes, making the base rate stand at 3.5 percent. The central bank announced Friday it has raised the benchmark rate by 25 basis points, deeming that inflation has yet cooled down. With the hike, the base rate has reached 3.5 percent, the highest figure in more than 14 years, since the rate stood at 4 percent in November 2008. Prior...

The South Korean economy is feared to face a bumpy road ahead on high inflation, slowing domestic consumption as well as sluggish exports, the finance ministry said Friday. "Recently, the South Korean economy's inflation continued to stay at a high plateau, and the recovery of domestic consumption has slowed. The weak economic sentiment has continued on weak exports as well, leading to concerns ...

Seoul shares opened higher Friday as investors await a rate hike decision by the Bank of Korea later in the morning. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index had added 15.47 points, or 0.65 percent, to 2,380.57 as of 9:15 a.m. The central bank is widely expected to raise its policy rate by 25 basis points to 3.5 percent as part of efforts to tame inflation. In Seoul, most large cap shar...

South Korean stocks extended their winning streak to a seventh session on Thursday, largely on anticipation of slower inflation in the United States. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed up 5.57 points, or 0.24 percent, at 2,365.1 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 570 million shares worth some 7.7 trillion won ($6.2 billion...

Saudi Arabia’s state fund decided to join in 1.2 trillion won ($964 million) investment in Kakao Entertainment, doubling down on its aggressive bet on the burgeoning Korean content industry. The company, the entertainment arm of Kakao Corp., said it has raised 600 billion won in financing by issuing new shares through third-party allotment each to two global state funds -- Saudi Arabia’s Public ...

South Korea's fiscal deficit widened 21 trillion won ($16.8 billion) in the first 11 months of last year due to increased expenditures amid the pandemic. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 98 trillion won in the January-November period, larger than a shortfall of 77 trillion won a year earlier, the finance ministry's Monthl...

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, taking a cue from overnight Wall Street gains on anticipation of slower inflation in the United States. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index had increased 6.24 points, or 0.26 percent, to 2,365.77 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite added 1.76 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.8 percent, amid ex...