S.Korean stocks flat amid global uncertainties; won slumps to 2-week low

Ananti

11/12/2018 07:13

* KOSPI index flat, foreigners sell
    * Korean won hits 2-week low
    * South Korea bond yields down
    * For the midday report, please click  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1YG1IZ

    SEOUL, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    ** South Korea's KOSPI stock index  .KS11  ended nearly flat
on Tuesday as sharp gains in Samsung BioLogics Co Ltd
 207940.KS  on resumption of trade offset losses caused by
external uncertainties, including Brexit vote delay, and global
growth concerns. The Korean won fall to 2-week low while bond
yields also fell.
    
    ** The KOSPI closed down 0.82 points, or 0.04 percent, at
2,052.97, ending in the negative territory for a second straight
session.
    
    ** Biotech drug firm Samsung BioLogics resumed trading after
the main stock exchange decided on Monday that the company is
qualified to continue trading on the bourse. The stock jumped
17.8 percent, while Samsung C&T Corp  028260.KS , which co-owns
Samsung BioLogics with tech giant Samsung Electronics
 005930.KS , closed up 3.4 percent.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1YF3GB
    
    ** North Korea-related shares dropped after the United
States imposed sanctions on three North Korean officials,
including a top aide to leader Kim Jong Un. Concrete firm SG Co
Ltd  255220.KQ  and automation system company Puloon Technology
Inc  094940.KQ  closed down 8.6 percent and 5.4 percent,
respectively.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nS0N1V502A
    
    ** Celltrion Inc  068270.KS  ended down 10 percent after TV
network YTN reported the financial regulator is reviewing
allegation that the drugmaker's unit Celltrion Healthcare
 091990.KQ  violated accounting rules. An official at the
Financial Supervisory Service, South Korea's financial watchdog,
declined to comment on the report. Celltrion's other units
Celltrion Healthcare and Celltrion Pharm Inc  068760.KQ  fell
12.0 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1YG04J
    
    ** Ananti Inc  025980.KQ  surged 26.8 percent after the
company said it planned to hire veteran U.S. investor Jim Rogers
as a non-executive director for three years. Ananti owns a
private golf and spa resort in Mountain Kumgang, located in
North Korea, which has stopped operating since 2008. The
decision will be made after a general meeting of shareholders on
Dec. 27.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1YG07K
    
    ** The won was quoted at 1,130.1 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform  KRW=KFTC , 0.32 percent weaker than its
previous close at 1,126.5, hitting its lowest since Nov. 28.
    
    ** The Brexit vote delay boosted the dollar which led the
won decline, said Lee Won, an analyst with Bokook Securities.
    
    ** In offshore trading, the won  KRW=  was quoted at
1,129.17 per U.S. dollar, down 0.16 percent from the previous
day, while in one-year non-deliverable forwards  KRWNDFOR=  it
was being asked at 1,110.25 per dollar.
    
    ** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside
Japan  .MIAPJ0000PUS  was up 0.07 percent, after U.S. stocks
ended the previous session with mild gains  MKTS/GLOB . Japanese
stocks  .N225  weakened 0.34 percent.
    
    ** The KOSPI is down around 16.8 percent so far this year,
and down by 2.89 percent in the previous 30 days.
    
    ** The current price-to-earnings ratio is 12.10, the
dividend yield is 1.28 percent and the market capitalisation is
1,242.04 trillion won.
    
    ** The trading volume during the session on the KOSPI index
 .KS11  was 267,011,000 shares and, of the total traded issues
of 897, the number of advancing shares was 254.
    
    ** Foreigners were net sellers of 192,407 million won worth
of shares.
    
    ** The U.S. dollar has risen 5.89 percent against the won
this year. The won's high for the year is 1,053.55 per dollar on
April 2 and low is 1,146.26 on Oct 11.
    
    ** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year
treasury bonds  KTBc1  rose 0.01 points to 109.22.
    
    ** The Korean 3-month Certificate of Deposit benchmark rate
was quoted at 1.9 percent, while the benchmark 3-year Korean
treasury bond yielded 1.791 percent, lower than the previous
day's 1.80 percent.

 (Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
 ((joori.roh@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5642; Reuters
Messaging: joori.roh.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))