[THE INVESTOR]  South Korean shares opened lower on Sept. 20, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street.

The benchmark KOSPI lost 4.25 points, or 0.21 percent, to 2,011.53 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

The decline followed overnight losses on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.02 percent, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ composite index declining 0.18 percent.

Analysts said the local stock market is likely to remain volatile until investors find the results of the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting due this week.

“Investors will take a wait-and-see attitude,” said Kim Ye-eun, an analyst at LIG Investment & Securities.

Large-cap stocks were mixed across the board. Samsung Electronics gained 0.96 percent and top automaker Hyundai Motor was up 0.36 percent

Meanwhile, state-run utility firm Korea Electric Power Corp. declined 0.52 percent and top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis was down 1.92 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,120.65 won against the US dollar, down 2.55 won from the previous session’s close.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)