How to navigate September market volatility

The local stock market is likely to remain stuck on growth for the time being, reflecting the woes of the US economy, market analysts said. They also advised investors to build up a defensive portfolio to respond to high volatility. The local bourse has remained sluggish in recent days, coupled with concerns about the recession of the US economy. The benchmark Kospi, which closed at 2,681 points on Sept. 2, has been fluctuating at around 2,500 in recent days, marking an around 100-point drop. Fo

Sept. 16, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on hope for Fed's rate cut

Seoul shares opened higher Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, as investors expect the Federal Reserve will cut rates next week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.17 percent, or 4.43 points, to 2,576.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In August, the US core consumer price index and producer price index rose slightly from a month earlier, dashing hopes for a big cut by the Fed next week. But market participants expect the US central bank to cut rates by at le

Sept. 13, 2024

Seoul shares snap 7-day fall on tech gains

Seoul shares closed higher, snapping a seven-day losing streak, on Thursday led by tech gains, with investors expecting the Federal Reserve's rate cut next week after the release of US inflation data. The Korean won traded higher against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 2.3 percent, or 58.72 points, to close at 2,572.09. Trading volume was moderate at 334.63 million shares worth 11.04 trillion won ($8.2 billion), with decliners far exceeding gainers 762 to

Sept. 12, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on US gains

Seoul shares opened higher Thursday, tracking tech-led gains on Wall Street, as investors expect the Federal Reserve's rate cut after the release of US inflation data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 1.2 percent, or 30.17 points, to 2,543.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In August, the US core consumer price index, excluding volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3 percent from July. The inflation data dashed hopes for a big cut by the Fed next week but ma

Sept. 12, 2024

Seoul shares fall for 7th day on foreign selling

South Korean stocks fell for the seventh consecutive session Wednesday led by foreign sell-off ahead of US inflation data that could influence the Federal Reserve's policy move next week. The Korean won traded higher against the US greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 10.06 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 2,513.37. The main index has been in a bearish mode since Sept. 3. Trading volume was light at 294.1 million shares worth 9.4 trillion won ($7 billion), with

Sept. 11, 2024

Foreign investors dump Seoul shares

Foreign investors are on a massive selling spree of South Korean stocks, dumping shares worth over 1 trillion won ($746 million) on the benchmark Kospi Wednesday, fueled by concerns that the US economy could be heading toward a recession. On Wednesday, overseas investors shed shares worth 1.04 trillion won on the Kospi, continuing the sell-off stance shown in recent weeks. After offloading shares over 2.7 trillion won in August, they ditched shares worth 4.41 trillion won this month, according t

Sept. 11, 2024

Seoul shares open lower ahead of US inflation data

South Korean stocks started a tad lower Wednesday as investors await the latest US inflation data that would give clues for the Federal Reserve's upcoming rate-setting decision. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index opened slightly higher but lost 0.13 percent, or 3.33 points, to 2,520.1 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wall Street, US stocks closed mixed amid rising slowdown concerns. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.2 percent, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8

Sept. 11, 2024

Seoul shares dip for 6th session ahead of key US inflation data

South Korean shares extended their losing streak to six sessions Tuesday as investors took a cautious approach ahead of key US inflation data that would affect the upcoming rate-setting meeting. The local currency traded lower against the US greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 12.5 points, or 0.49 percent, to close at 2,523.43. The main index has continued its bearish mode since Sept. 3. Trading volume was light at 341.2 million shares worth 8.3 trillion won ($6.2 bil

Sept. 10, 2024

Korean asset managers vie to ride Indian wave

South Korean asset managers are eagerly introducing diverse fund products tracking the Indian stock market, seeking lucrative opportunities in its strong growth. Korea Investment Management, a big-name asset manager here, listed two active funds tracking India-domiciled companies Tuesday, the ACE India Consumer Power Active ETF and ACE India Market Representative Big5 Group Active ETF. According to the firm, Korea Investment Management is the first company in Asia to launch an actively managed f

Sept. 10, 2024

Seoul shares open lower despite US gains

South Korean stocks started lower Tuesday despite overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) opened slightly higher but lost 0.48 percent, or 12.09 points, to 2,523.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indices closed higher after the previous week's big losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 1.16 percent. In Seoul, market heavyweights led the weak opening. Top-ca

Sept. 10, 2024

Seoul shares dip for 5th day on dim prospects over Fed's big cut

Seoul shares ended lower Monday to extend their losing streak to a fifth day amid concerns that the US Federal Reserve may not cut its rate by a large margin. The Korean won traded sharply lower against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 8.35 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 2,535.93. Trading volume was moderate at 262.46 million shares worth 7.3 trillion won ($5.4 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 502 to 371. Foreigners sold a net 540 billion won wo

Sept. 9, 2024

Korea’s hostility to short selling may scare global investors away

While South Korean regulators maintain a wary eye against short selling, the prolonged ban and imposing stricter guidelines on the practice could drive foreign investors away from the local equity market, experts said. Following heavy market fluctuations, local regulators enforced a complete ban on short selling in November. Short selling is a trading strategy that involves borrowing and selling stocks expected to decline in price. The halt, initially set to last until June, has been prolonged

Sept. 9, 2024

Seoul shares open lower after US jobs data

Seoul shares opened lower Monday after weaker US employment data, amid concerns that the Federal Reserve has waited too long to cut rates as recession risks grow. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 1.3 percent, or 33.89 points, to 2,510.39 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Weaker-than-expected employment data in August weighed on investor sentiment ahead of the Fed's rate decision later this month, analysts said. They noted that investors will focus on next week's i

Sept. 9, 2024

Seoul shares dip for 4th day amid US recession woes

South Korean shares closed sharply lower Friday, extending their losing streak to a fourth consecutive session amid concerns over a potential US recession. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 31.22 points, or 1.21 percent, to close at 2,544.28. Trading volume was moderate at 368.9 million shares worth 8.5 trillion won ($6.4 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 760 to 139. Foreign investors extended their selling streak to a fo

Sept. 6, 2024

Seoul shares open lower ahead of US jobs data

South Korean shares opened slightly lower Friday ahead of the US jobs report that may serve as another indicator of a possibly looming recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 7.63 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,567.87 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index has been on a steady decline since Tuesday, when the United States reported a worse-than-expected manufacturing purchasing managers index. The US is set to release its latest jobs data Friday. In Seoul, large caps

Sept. 6, 2024

Seoul shares down for 3rd day on US woes

South Korean shares dropped for a third consecutive session Thursday amid concerns of an economic recession in the United States. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 5.30 points, or 0.21 percent, to close at 2,575.50. Trading volume was moderate at 371 million shares worth 10 trillion won ($7.48 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 519 to 358. Retail investors purchased a net 457.6 billion won worth of local shares, extending

Sept. 5, 2024

Seoul shares open sharply up on bargain hunting

Seoul shares opened higher Thursday as investors sought to pick up blue chip bargains, one day after the local market plunged by more than 3 percent on US woes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 21.63 points, or 0.84 percent, to 2,602.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index had dipped 3.15 percent the previous day on growing concerns of a US economic slowdown following a worse-than-expected manufacturing purchasing managers index for August. US stocks closed mixed ov

Sept. 5, 2024

Seoul shares fall over 3% on concerns of economic slowdown

South Korean shares dipped to a month low Wednesday as concerns of an economic slowdown weighed down investor sentiment. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) lost 83.83 points, or 3.15 percent, to close at 2,580,80. Trade volume was heavy at 448.8 million shares worth 11.2 trillion won ($8.35 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 859 to 51. Foreign investors offloaded 986 billion won worth of local shares, becoming net seller

Sept. 4, 2024

Banks, blue-chips tipped for Value-up Index

With South Korea's sole bourse operator set to introduce this month a stock index comprised of Korean companies well complying with the government-led corporate value-up program, the market expects bank shares and large-cap stocks to make the list. As part of the value-up program announced earlier this year, Korea Exchange is to launch the Korea Value-up Index in September, enlisting “best practice” companies to boost the appeal of the local stock market. Though the bourse opera

Sept. 4, 2024

S. Korean shares open sharply lower on Wall Street losses

South Korean shares opened sharply lower Wednesday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 60.72 points, or 2.28 percent, to 2,603.91 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.51 percent to close at 40,936.93, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged 3.26 percent. Tech giants, including Nvidia and Intel, led the decline as the lower-than-expected US manufacturing purchasing managers index (

Sept. 4, 2024