South Korean stocks opened lower Monday, as investors took a breather ahead of corporate earnings season. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 9.91 points, or 0.39 percent, to 2,534.49 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday, US shares closed marginally higher amid a lack of fresh market-moving events. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.07 percent, and the tech-heav...

KB seeks to improve its credit evaluation model using mobile phone user data

The total market capitalization of listed firms in Korea rose by 16.4 percent this year, an increase of more than 341 trillion won ($256 billion) from the year-end of 2022. As the stock market slowly rebounds, the combined market cap of Korea's benchmark index Kospi and secondary bourse Kosdaq swelled from 2,079.13 trillion won to 2,420.25 trillion won during the period, marking a 16.4 percent i...

Hana Financial Group opened its first Hana Momcare Center in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. The center, the first of its kind, comes with a nursing room equipped with child care products including a water purifier, bassinet, baby feeding chair, breast pumps and a changing table for babies. It also comes with other necessities such as baby wash, lotion, wet wipes and cleaning liquid for f...

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, led by the decline in auto and battery shares following Tesla Inc.'s sharp fall on Wall Street and US data signaling a slowing economy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slid 12.97 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,550.14 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Wall Street ended lower Thursday after Tesla hinted at more price cuts to come and that ...

South Korea's exports fell 11 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April, data showed Friday, amid the prolonged slump in the global chip industry. The country's outbound shipments stood at $32.4 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $36.3 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports shed 11.8 percent on-year to $36.5 billion during the cite...

Seoul shares closed down Thursday, as the possibility of continued rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve dented market sentiment. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 11.97 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 2,563.11. Trading volume was high at 938 million shares worth 12.2 trillion won ($9.2 billion), with losers outnumbering winn...

Battery materials firm family becomes overnight star of Korean stock market

Hana Financial Group on Thursday held an award ceremony for the winners of its art contest for supporting and celebrating artists with developmental disorders. The ceremony of the contest dubbed “Hana Artverse” took place in commemoration of Korea’s 43rd National Day of People with Disabilities on Thursday. This is the second time the group hosted the multi-platform art contest to allow artists...

SEJONG-- South Korea's finance ministry said Thursday it has reduced the staff of state-run companies by more than 10,000 workers through voluntary retirement and sold assets to tighten its belt amid economic uncertainties. Around 290 state-run businesses let go of a combined 10,721 workers over the January-March period, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Additionally, local state...

Seoul shares opened lower Thursday as the possibility of continued rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve dented market sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 7.1 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,567.98 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street closed little changed following the release of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, Fed officials' hawkish comments an...

South Korean stocks finished up Wednesday, as automakers, battery materials companies and banks led the market gains. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 3.99 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 2,575.08. Trading volume was high at 933 million shares worth 12.4 trillion won ($9.4 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 596 to ...

The total market capitalization of listed firms in Korea rose by 14 percent, or 280 trillion won ($212 billion), during the first quarter of 2023, a report by issued by market tracker Korea CXO Institute showed Wednesday. As the local stock market has been on course for a gradual rebound in the first three months of 2023, the total market cap of 2,558 firms listed on the country’s benchmark Kosp...

Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday with battery stocks leading the gains. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 3.36 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,574.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Battery stocks, including those affiliated with steel giant Posco Holdings in particular, led the market gains on the rosy growth prospects of their battery materials business. Posco Hold...

The first negotiating session for next year's minimum wage fell through Tuesday, as public sector representatives stayed away from the meeting in protest of labor activists shouting slogans in the conference room. The tripartite Minimum Wage Commission, which is composed of nine members each from labor, business and public sectors, was scheduled to meet for its first plenary meeting at 3 p.m. Tu...