Seoul stocks snap 3-day losing streak on bargain hunting, strong exports

South Korean stocks advanced Monday after a three-day loss, largely on investors' move to cash in the recent gains and strong exports in October. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 8.26 points, or 0.28 percent, to close at 2,978.94 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 469 million shares worth some 9.3 trillion won ($7.9 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 496 to 358. Foreigners sold a net 358 billion won, whil

Nov. 1, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on bargain hunting

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, as investors seek to buy oversold stocks after the key index's three straight days of losses. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 14.03 points, or 0.49 percent, to 2,984.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks rose on institutional buying, led by bio and tech stocks. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. added 0.57 percent to 70,200 won, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. increased 1.46 percent to 104,500 won, and top aut

Nov. 1, 2021

Banks urged to prevent loan bottleneck amid toughened lending rules

  South Korea’s financial authorities have called on local banks to take action to ensure a stable supply of credit loans and tighter supervision of household debts, officials said Sunday.  The policymaking Financial Services Commission and the market watchdog Financial Supervisory Service reportedly advised the nation’s commercial banks to submit the action plans, which can be either monthly or quarterly, for personal unsecured loans. The authorities also ur

Oct. 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Kospi’s average daily transaction volume hits 1-year low in October

South Korea’s main stock market saw its trading volume hit its lowest level in a year this month, data showed Sunday, amid market instability ahead of monetary policy meetings at central banks here and in the United States. The Kospi’s daily average trading volume stood at 11.75 trillion won ($10 billion) in October, its lowest level since the 10.85 trillion won posted a year ago, according to data compiled by the Korea Exchange. The figure had nearly halved since January, wh

Oct. 31, 2021

Krafton secures Unknown Worlds takeover in 1st M&A since IPO

South Korean gaming firm Krafton has inked a deal to acquire 100 percent ownership of US video game developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment for $750 million, in the first takeover deal it has announced since the company went public in August, a filing showed Sunday. According to the disclosure filed with the Financial Supervisory Service, Krafton, a Tencent Holdings-backed company behind the battle-royale style PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds franchise, signed a sales and purchase agreement

Oct. 31, 2021

PDI Japan Korea Week to unveil KIC’s post-pandemic strategies

Private Debt Investor, a publication covering the global private debt investing scene, said Sunday it plans to hold a virtual investor event in November and feature post-pandemic strategies of Korea’s sole sovereign wealth fund, Korea Investment Corp. During the event, named PDI Japan Korea Week, Choi Jin-suk, senior director of investment strategy group at KIC, will share the allocator’s key considerations when applying its environmental, social and governance factors in private de

Oct. 31, 2021

Seoul stocks down for 3rd day on tech slump

South Korean stocks ended lower for a third straight day Friday as tech shares declined following the release of weaker-than-expected earnings by major US tech firms. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 38.87 points, or 1.29 percent, to close at 2,970.68 points. Trading volume was moderate at 535.48 million shares worth 10.789 trillion won ($9.2 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 663 to 210. Foreigners and institution

Oct. 29, 2021

BTS’ agency denies link to Army Coin

Hybe, the K-pop corporation behind BTS, released a statement Friday that it has nothing to do with a cryptocurrency called Army Coin and warned it take legal action against the crypto exchange for violating portrait rights. “We have received information that Army Coin has been listed on Bitget, a crypto exchange located in Singapore. However, we have nothing to do with the crypto whatsoever,” Hybe said in a statement. Hybe stressed that the crypto agency has used BTS photos to prom

Oct. 29, 2021

Moody’s changes A1 credit rating of Citibank Korea on review for downgrade

Global credit rating agency Moody’s said Friday it has placed the credit rating of Citibank Korea on review for a downgrade citing the bank’s decision to close its retail banking business. The agency had kept the bank’s credit rating at A1, the same as estimates from February 2019. It signaled Citibank Korea’s current a3 Baseline Credit Assessment would be on review for a downgrade as well. “The review for a downgrade is triggered by the bank’s plan to exit

Oct. 29, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday as investor sentiment was uplifted by overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 14.25 points, or 0.47 percent, to 3,023.80 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.68 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1.39 percent. In Seoul, top cap Samsung Electronics added 0.99 percent, and LG Electronics rose 5.74 percent and No. 2 chipmaker SK

Oct. 29, 2021

Court grants injunction to nullify Namyang Dairy chief’s voting rights

A local court granted an injunction request by South Korean buyout firm Hahn & Co. to block Namyang Dairy Products Chairman Hong Won-sik from exercising his voting rights, noting that a sales and purchase agreement between the two parties is valid, according to a recent ruling obtained by The Korea Herald Thursday. The court’s decision indicated that Hong and his family members had failed to present evidence of Hahn & Co.’s breach of nondisclosure agreement, unlawful interv

Oct. 28, 2021

Seoul stocks down for 2nd day on inflation concerns

South Korean stocks retreated for a second straight day Thursday, weighed down by concerns about the increasing inflationary pressure. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) slumped 15.94 points, or 0.53 percent, to close at 3,009.55 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 608 million shares worth some 12.2 trillion won ($10.4 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 661 to 210. Foreigners sold a net 249 billion won worth of s

Oct. 28, 2021

FSC chief vows support for banks’ integrated digital platform

The nation‘s top financial regulator on Thursday vowed policy efforts to forge an integrated online platform for conventional players to accelerate digital transformation of their financial services in face of rising big tech companies.  “The growth of contactless banking transactions, the so-called ‘unbundling’ as well as ‘rebundling’ trend, and the entry of tech giants into financial services have added fuel to market competition. It is time to

Oct. 28, 2021

Seoul stocks open slightly higher on tech advance

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Thursday on advances in tech shares, which fueled hopes of a strong earnings report season. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) added 5.68 points, or 0.19 percent, to 3,031.17 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks opened nearly flat amid the tussle between the expectations of strong quarterly gains and concerns over rising price pressure. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.74 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq

Oct. 28, 2021

Citibank’s retail business closure not subject to regulator’s approval: FSC

The policymaking Financial Services Commission said Wednesday that Citibank Korea’s plans to gradually phase out its consumer banking operations are not subject to the regulator’s authorization.  “According to the current banking act, Citibank Korea‘s withdrawal of retail business in phases is not regarded as a ‘shutdown of banking business,’ which falls under the FSC‘s approval,” the authority said in a statement, which indicates the forei

Oct. 27, 2021

Online mall SSG.com picks IPO managers as it eyes 2022 listing

SSG.com, the e-commerce arm of South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group, said Wednesday it has selected managers for its initial public offering with a goal to make a market debut in 2022. According to the officials, the company chose Mirae Asset Securities and Citigroup Global Markets Korea Securities as the lead underwriters of its IPO deal, with Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co. also joining as members of the underwriter group. The exact size of the deal and the date of listing

Oct. 27, 2021

[Avertising Awards] Dunamu’s campaign promotes sound digital asset market, investor protection

We are honored to receive the 2021 Korea Herald Advertising Awards with our “Appropriate Digital Asset Investment Campaign” by the Upbit Investor Protection Center. The Appropriate Digital Asset Investment Campaign is very meaningful in that it is the first official activity of the tentatively named, upcoming Upbit Investor Protection Center and the industry’s first mass campaign efforts to enhance self-purification. As a leader in the digital asset market, Dunamu has put va

Oct. 27, 2021

Changes in share ownership show power transitions in chaebol: survey

Descendants of South Korea’s conglomerate founders have inherited more shares and strengthened their control on the companies in recent years, data showed Wednesday, indicating a generational power transfer within the family-controlled businesses. According to local corporate tracker CEO Score, of all family-owned shares from 60 conglomerates, the percentage of the children’s shares in value surged to 43.6 percent as of October, up 9.7 percentage points from 33.9 percent in 2019. T

Oct. 27, 2021

Seoul stocks slump as investors take profit amid earnings peak-out worries

South Korean stocks retreated Wednesday as investors attempted to cash in gains amid concerns that the corporate earnings may wane after a strong third quarter. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 23.59 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 3,025.49 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 598 million shares worth some 10.1 trillion won (US$8.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 626 to 232. Foreigners sold a net 2

Oct. 27, 2021

[News Focus] Outstanding mortgages may top 1,000 trillion won in 2022

SEJONG -- There is a possibility that the outstanding mortgages in the nation will surpass 1,000 trillion won ($856 billion) for the first time as early as in the first half of next year, given the current growth pace. The outstanding mortgage loans -- issued to households for home purchase by financial services firms or state-run agencies -- reached the record-high of 948 trillion won as of June, according to the Bank of Korea and Statistics Korea. This was a 27 percent, or 207 trillion won,

Oct. 27, 2021