South Korean shares extended gains to a fifth session on Friday, as expectations for a US stimulus package underpinned investor sentiment. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.  The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 9.06 points, or 0.39 percent, to close at 2,351.67. The reading marks the highest since Sept. 27, 2018.  Trading volume was high at about 802 million shares worth some 17.3 trillion won ($14.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 382 t

Sheraton Seoul Palace Gangnam Hotel, the first five-star hotel in Seoul’s posh district of Gangnam, is up for sale again after a sales deal earlier this year fell through due to the new coronavirus pandemic, according to reports Friday. Seojoo Industry Development, a local developer and the current owner of the high-end hotel, has reportedly appointed local brokerage Samsung Securities and real estate services firm CBRE Korea as lead managers of the planned deal. The local developer

South Korean asset management company Mirae Asset Global Investments said Friday that two new exchange traded funds focused on semiconductors, robots and artificial intelligence businesses in China have been listed on the Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing, the sole securities and derivatives exchange in Hong Kong. The Chinese chip sector has been fast growing in recent years in tandem with the growth of IT and internet platform businesses in the local market. Many Chinese companies, especially

South Korean shares opened higher Friday on high expectations about the US stimulus package. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 9.5 points, or 0.41 percent, to 2,352.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index got off to a strong start, set to continue its winning streak since Monday. Investor sentiment remained high, largely on expectations that the US stimulus package is nearing an accord. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.68 percent to close at 27,2

South Korea’s sole bourse operator said Thursday that it would further review possible delisting of biotechnology firm SillaJen. SillaJen submitted its business normalization scheme to the bourse operator last month. The KRX’s Kosdaq Market Committee was to decide whether to lift the company’s trading suspension or delist it from the nation’s tech-heavy Kosdaq market. Officials said the committee would resume discussion without setting a date, but that it would be some

Kospi surges 60% to nearly 2-year high, some forecast reaching 2,400 points in H2

South Korean brokerage firm Mirae Asset Daewoo posted a second-quarter operating profit of 387.1 billion won ($327 million) and net profit of 304.1 billon won on Thursday on the back of a stock market rally. The operating profit marked a 47.9 percent on-year increase, a 179.2 percent jump from the previous quarter. The figure stood at an all-time quarterly high since its merger with Mirae Asset Securities at the end of December 2016, officials said. It was even 37.1 percent higher than market

South Korea’s financial watchdog said Thursday it will hold a sanctions committee later this month concerning Hanwha Group’s insurance unit’s financial support for the conglomerate’s duty-free business, posing a threat to the company‘s digital transition drive.  According to the Financial Supervisory Service, Hanwha Life Insurance paid for the interior decoration of Hanwha TimeWorld’s duty-free shop at the 63 Building in Yeouido in Seoul in 2016. 

South Korean shares opened sharply higher Thursday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street over economic rebound hopes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 22.26 points, or 0.96 percent, to 2,334.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index came to a strong start after closing at a nearly two-year high in the previous session. Investor sentiment remained high despite the nationwide downpour and concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Stocks lifted

South Korea’s largest internet-only bank said Wednesday that its number of monthly active users in June surpassed 11 million — the highest in the nation’s entire bank industry. Kakao Bank’s increasing number of users also boosted its earnings in the first half with its net profit standing at 45.3 billion won, nearly five times higher than the 9.6 billion won it posted a year earlier. In the second quarter alone, the net profit came in at 26.8 billion won. Increased

South Korea’s main bourse Kospi on Wednesday rose 31.89 points, or 1.4 percent, to 2,311.86, recovering above the level of 2,300 after nearly 22 months, on retail investors’ buying spree for a sixth consecutive session as signs of economic recovery improved investor sentiment. It was the first time the index moved above the 2,300-point mark since Oct. 4, 2018, when it marked 2,311.06. The closing also marked the highest since 2,338.88 on Oct. 1 in the same year. The index hit an i

The local real estate market appears not to be very excited about the government‘s conditional approval of turning old apartments into 50-story buildings, due to its condition of donating more than a half of leftover units for public use, experts said Wednesday. Responding to the housing supply shortage, the government has decided to build more than 130,000 residential units in the capital city and adjacent areas over the next eight years. One of the key measures is a public reconstruct

South Korean stocks gathered ground for the third consecutive session on Wednesday to close at the highest level in nearly two years, as investor sentiment was buoyed by progress in US stimulus moves, analysts said. The Korean won rose against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 31.89 points, or 1.4 percent, to finish at 2,311.86. Trading volume was high at 830 million shares worth 17.6 trillion won ($14.8 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 434 to

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains from Wall Street, as investor sentiment was buoyed by progress in US stimulus moves. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 6.67 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,286.64 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved up 0.62 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.35 percent. US lawmakers have been making efforts to reach an agreement on new stimul

In its first step since resuming operations, internet-only lender K bank unveiled a mobile mortgage loan service on Tuesday, allowing customers to borrow money without visiting brick-and-mortar banking branches. Utilizing data scraping technology to gather customers’ credit information online, the bank can easily calculate loan limits and interest rates for customers, officials said. It has also reduced the number of documents needed when taking mortgage loans -- the bank only requires