South Korean stocks closed higher for the fourth consecutive session Wednesday as cooler-than-expected US producer price data soothed concerns and boosted investors' sentiment. The local currency sharply rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 23 points, or 0.88 percent, to close at 2,644.50. Trade volume was a little slim at 321.4 million shares worth 8.6 trillion won ($6.3 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 649 to 234. Foreigners purchased

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street led by a cooler-than-expected US producer price index. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 29.24 points, or 1.12 percent, to 2,650.74 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes gained ground as softer producer price data boosted bets the Federal Reserve will start cutting its rates soon. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics advanced 1.97 percent, and its chipmakin

South Korean stocks finished more than 1 percent higher Friday as investor sentiment was boosted by better-than-expected recent US jobless data, soothing recent recession fears that had rocked global financial markets. The local currency gained against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 31.7 points, or 1.24 percent, to close at 2,588.43. Trade volume was moderate at 464.3 million shares worth 9.5 trillion won ($6.96 billion), with gainers largely outnumbering de

South Korean stocks began sharply higher Tuesday following the previous session's worst crash over mounting US recession fears and the sluggish performance of big tech shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 106.11 points, or 4.35 percent, to 2,547.66 in the first 15 minutes of trading. During the session, the bourse operator issued a sidecar order at 9:06 a.m., halting program purchasing for five minutes, after the Kospi 200 index rose over 5 percent for more than 1

South Korean stocks tumbled by the most on record to a near nine-month low Monday amid intensifying fears over a US economic slowdown, with big tech coming under heavy selling. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) plummeted a record 234.64 points, or 8.77 percent, to close at 2,441.55, after dipping to as low as 2,273.97 at one point, following a 3.65 percent loss the previous session. It is the lowest closing price since Nov. 14, whe

LG Chem, in partnership with the social enterprise Circle of Change Lab, has donated 100 custom-designed spoke guards made from recycled plastic to 10 children using wheelchairs. These guards, which protect fingers and clothing from getting caught on wheels, feature custom designs that allow kids to express their personalities with favorite characters, drawings and patterns. LG Chem provided the materials and covered processing costs, producing 100 LETZero guards for this project. One recipient

Seoul shares opened higher Monday on hope for the US Federal Reserve's rate cut and earnings releases of major tech firms this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 27.62 points, or 1.01 percent, to 2,759.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading. All eyes are on the US central bank's policy decision and earnings results by Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. The Fed is expected to cut rates as early as in September. In Seoul, tech and auto stocks l

South Korean shares closed sharply higher Friday, ending a two-day losing streak on large cap gains led by financial firms and shipbuilding companies. The local currency fell slightly against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 21.25 points, or 0.78 percent, to close at 2,731.90. Trading volume was moderate at 504.7 million shares worth 12.8 trillion won ($9.24 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 594 to 288. Institutions purchased a net 394 billion won wor

South Korean shares dipped by nearly 2 percent Thursday as tech and auto stocks crashed following an overnight drop on Wall Street. The local currency fell slightly against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 48.06 points, or 1.74 percent, to close at 2,710.65. Trading volume was heavy at 433 million shares worth 13.4 trillion won ($9.67 billion) with losers outnumbering gainers 728 to 160. Foreigners remained net sellers for a second straight session, dumping a n

Seoul shares opened sharply lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 35.99 points, or 1.30 percent, to 2,722.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 1.25 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged 3.64 percent Wednesday on worse-than-expected Q2 performances by major tech companies, including Tesla. In Seoul, most large caps were in negative terrain. Market kingpin and tech giant Samsun

LG Chem announced on Wednesday that Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, which had acquired the global license for LB54640 -- a new oral drug for a rare form of obesity developed by LG Chem -- has begun giving doses to the first participants in a phase 2 clinical trial. For the phase 2 trial, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals recruited 28 patients aged 12 and older with hypothalamic obesity -- a condition caused by congenital or acquired damage to hypothalamic function, resulting in difficulties in appetite control. Th

Seoul shares closed higher Tuesday to snap a four-day losing streak, tracking an overnight rebound in US tech stocks. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 10.78 points, or 0.39 percent, to close at 2,774.29. Trade volume was moderate at 416 million shares worth 11.3 trillion won ($8.15 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 494 to 365. Foreign investors purchased 241.2 billion won worth of local shares, while retail investors an

Analysts here took a mixed view on how US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the November presidential race would affect South Korean shares, with growing uncertainty expected to hurt investor sentiment. Some brokerages expected the benchmark Kospi index to dip below the 2,650 level due to heightened short-term volatility. Others anticipated the main bourse would rise to 2,900 thanks to the recovery of shares in the semiconductor, automobile and rechargeable battery industries. These

Seoul shares fell more than 1 percent Monday, hit by declines in semiconductor stocks. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) tumbled 31.95 points, or 1.14 percent, to close at 2,763.51. Trade volume was slightly moderate at 456.1 million shares worth 10.3 trillion won ($7.42 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 673 to 211. Institutions and foreign investors dumped local shares worth a combined 105.3 billion won, while retail

Seoul shares started lower Monday as most blue chips across the board retreated, led by battery and energy-related stock losses. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dipped 5.57 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,789.89 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Leading battery firm LG Energy Solution dropped 2.75 percent following news that it has recently suspended construction of its joint US plant with General Motors amid stagnation in growth of the electric vehicle market. Smaller rival Samsu