[Market Close-up] Kospi’s dizzy new heights: Asset bubble or market reality?

As South Korea’s main bourse continues its upward movement backed by an unprecedented buying spree by individual investors, some analysts said Tuesday warned that it might be overheating. “The level of return on equity calls for a cautious approach at the moment. You could say the market is heading upward for many reasons, but it’s too fast,” said Kim Han-jin, a senior analyst at KTB Investment and Securities. ROE is the rate of return on the capital provided by the c

Jan. 12, 2021

Coupang’s rumored IPO in March lifts stocks of partner firms

The recent news of e-commerce unicorn Coupang going public as early as March has boosted stocks of partner companies in South Korea on Tuesday. Dongbang, a logistics firm that handles Coupang’s delivery services, saw its stock jump by a daily upper limit of 29.96 percent to reach 3,915 won ($3.56) in intraday trading on Tuesday. It also soared by the same percentage point a day earlier to close at 3,015 won. Media content platform company KTH’s stock also jumped by the daily limit

Jan. 12, 2021

Seoul stocks down for 2nd day on profit-taking

South Korean stocks closed lower for the second straight session Tuesday as institutional and foreign investors cashed in gains amid concerns of an overheated market. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 22.5 points, or 0.71 percent, to close at 3,125.95 points, falling for the second consecutive session. Trading volume was high at about 1.37 billion shares worth around 31.1 trillion won ($28.3 billion), with losers outnumb

Jan. 12, 2021

Housing transactions surpasses W360tr in value

Total sales transactions in South Korea’s housing market last year crossed the 300 trillion-won mark for the first time over abundant liquidity and low interest rates, according to a report released by property platform operator Zigbang on Monday. The report, based on the data of real transaction prices of houses last year, showed the sales volume reached an all-time high of 360.8 trillion won ($328.6 billion) in value, up from 246.2 trillion won in 2019. The previous record was 262.8 t

Jan. 11, 2021

Seoul stocks slip on institutional profit-taking

South Korean stocks slipped Monday after choppy trading, roiled by foreign and institutional investors who sought to take profits before their stock options expire later this week. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 3.73 points, or 0.12 percent, to close at 3,148.45 points, breaking its two-day winning streak. Trading volume was exceptionally high at about 1.7 billion shares worth some 44.1 trillion won ($40.2 billion), with

Jan. 11, 2021

Retail investors’ net buying of Kospi stocks hits record high

Retail investors turned to strong net buyers, loading up on over 4.47 trillion won ($4.08 billion) worth of shares on South Korea’s benchmark Kospi market Monday, double the previous record. The previous record was set on Nov. 30 last year, when they net purchased some 2.22 trillion won. Amid growing expectations of Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor’s partnerships with US tech giants, small domestic investors went on a speculative binge, gobbling up shares in the market heavy

Jan. 11, 2021

KB Financial chief vows to accelerate digital transformation

KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo on Monday urged the group’s employees to strive to gain a digital foothold in the banking industry to become the nation’s No. 1 financial platform company.  “While maintaining traditional core values as a financial institution, KB Financial Group should become a complete digital organization as well as financial platform company in the long run,” said Yoon at a strategic management meeting held online. During the online

Jan. 11, 2021

Seoul stocks open sharply higher on Samsung, Hyundai Motor surge

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Monday on the back of stellar advances by Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, as investors pinned rosy expectations on the top caps' possible partnership with US tech giants. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 55.85 points, or 1.8 percent, to 3,209.03 in the first 20 minutes of trading. Samsung Electronics spiked 5.18 percent, following reports that it is rivaling with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. over a chip outsourcing

Jan. 11, 2021

Credit loans soar again amid relaxed rules, bullish market

Credit loans climbed back up in the first week of 2021, fueled by a bullish stock market and eased bank loan rules, data showed Sunday. The total credit loan balance of the major five commercial banks -- KB Kookmin, Shinhan, KEB Hana, Woori and NH Honghyup -- stood at 134.1 trillion won ($122.6 billion) as of Jan. 7, adding 453 billion won from 133.6 trillion won at the end of 2020. The number of new credit loans via overdraft accounts almost doubled from 1,048 on Dec. 31 to 1,960 on Jan. 7.

Jan. 10, 2021

Kospi logs record rise in first trading week of 2021

South Korea’s main bourse Kospi posted its strongest rise in the first trading week of this year in more than a decade, according to data compiled by the Korea Exchange on Sunday. The Kospi closed at 3,152.18 points Friday, up 278.71 points or 9.7 percent. It was the largest weekly increase since the last trading week of October 2008, when the index rose 174.31 points or 18.57 percent. Small domestic investors, and foreign and institutional investors rotated to lead the market and took

Jan. 10, 2021

[Weekender] Young and fearless: Startups enter global race for space, robotics and AI

While overseas global corporations such as Elon Musk‘s Space X, are leading to charge to turn the stuff of science fiction into reality, in South Korea, the brave companies eyeing the likes of space travel and humanoid robots are not its hardware giants, but small startups. Hybrid rocket engine maker Innospace is a prime example. The Sejong-based startup, led by a former Hanwha engineer, manufactures small “hybrid” rocket motors that use a combination of solid fuel and liquid

Jan. 9, 2021

KOSPI soars past 3,100 on Samsung, Hyundai Motor

South Korea's key stock index logged the largest daily gain in nearly seven months Friday, breaching the 3,100-point mark on stellar advances in market heavyweights such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 120.5 points, or 3.97 percent, to close at 3,152.18 points, registering the largest daily jump since June 16, 2020. Trading volume was exceptionally high at about 1.3 billion shares

Jan. 8, 2021

Bull market continues in US, S. Korea with Biden win affirmed

After US Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the presidential election winner, leading US stock benchmarks surged to record highs on Thursday (local time). South Korea’s main bourse also hit an all-time high in intraday trading on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the index for 30 top-performing US firms, rose 0.69 percent to 31,041.13 while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.56 percent to 13,067.48. The S&P 500, which tracks the stocks of 500 large-cap US firms, increased

Jan. 8, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, taking a cue from overnight Wall Street gains over global recovery hopes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 53.49 points, or 1.76 percent, to 3,085.17 in the first 20 minutes of trading. Stocks came to a strong start, led by chemical and auto gains. The gains were largely attributed to speculations that the upcoming US administration would increase stimulus and spending. Samsung Electronics added 1.93 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK

Jan. 8, 2021

Kospi closes at fresh record high above 3,000

After South Korea’s benchmark Kospi hit the historic 3,000 mark a day before, the bull market continued unabated Thursday as it set a fresh record thanks to foreign and institutional investors who turned to net buyers. The Kospi began at 2,980.75 in the morning, up 12.54 points or 0.42 percent from the previous session’s close. Within a minute of the market opening, it soon recovered to 3,000 points and then rose to its fresh high of 3,055.28 during intraday trading. Fueled by in

Jan. 7, 2021

Korean venture capital E& leads merger of clinical stage biotech firms

E& Investment, a South Korean venture capital that specializes in the bio and health care sectors, said Thursday that NeuroBo Pharmaceutical, in which the company owns a 40 percent stake, had acquired a US COVID-19 treatment developer. NeuroBo, a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biotechnology company, on Dec. 31 acquired ANA Therapeutics, which is developing a treatment for COVID-19 that is currently in phase two and three clinical trials.  “This is an exciting and transformative

Jan. 7, 2021

Seoul stocks set another record high, key index tops 3,000 points

South Korean stocks rallied Thursday to close above the 3,000-point mark for the first time, backed by strong foreign and institutional buying triggered by US stimulus hopes. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 63.47 points, or 2.14 percent, to close at 3,031.68 points. Trading volume was very high at about 1.5 billion shares worth around 26.8 trillion won ($24.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 617 to 220. Institut

Jan. 7, 2021

Experts positive on Kospi’s rally despite concerns over bubble

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi closed above the 3,000 points for the first time Thursday, as well as rising to an all-time high of 3,055.28 during intraday trading. Retail investors’ buying binge led the historic 3,000-point milestone a day earlier although the index ended up closing at 2,968.21 points. While the era of Kospi 3,000 has wide opened, multiple brokerage houses raised stock price outlook for this year, setting the upper-end target band to 2,830-3,500 points. They predic

Jan. 7, 2021

FSS to inspect Samsung Securities for allegedly breaching capital market rules

The market watchdog Financial Supervisory Service will launch a three-week comprehensive inspection of Samsung Securities on Monday, officials said Thursday. The comprehensive inspection on the nation’s leading brokerage will be the first of its kind since April 2018, when the firm was under FSS inspection over a dividend fiasco in which it mistakenly paid stocks to employees as dividends instead of cash dividends. During the planned inspection, the financial authorities will mainly look

Jan. 7, 2021

Bitcoin tops W40m in S. Korea for 1st time

Bitcoin topped 40 million won ($36,800) per unit for the first time in South Korea on Thursday, a local cryptocurrency exchange said. Bitcoin was trading at 40.9 million won as of 8:58 a.m., up 6.94 percent from the previous day, according to local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb. It just took 11 days for the cryptocurrency to top the 40 million-won mark after it broke the 30 million-won threshold on Dec. 27, 2020. The bitcoin price jumped 380 percent compared with a year earlier. The bull ru

Jan. 7, 2021