S.Korean stocks end higher as solid U.S. data fuels risk appetite
20/01/2020 07:24
* KOSPI gains, foreigners buy
* KRW edges up against USD
* South Korea benchmark bond yield rises
* For the midday report, please click urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N29P0IY
SEOUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
** South Korean shares closed higher on Monday as solid U.S.
economic data whipped up risk appetite. The won firmed slightly,
while the benchmark bond yield rose.
** The KOSPI .KS11 ended up 12.07 points, or 0.54%, to
2,262.64.
** Eyes are on South Korea's advance estimates of gross
domestic product for the fourth quarter and for 2019 due on
Wednesday.
** A Reuters poll showed that the economy likely grew faster
in the December quarter at a seasonally adjusted 0.8% from the
previous quarter. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N29L289
** U.S. housing starts jumped 16.9% to a seasonally adjusted
annual rate of 1.608 million units in December, data showed on
Friday, a 13-year high. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N29L1GW
** The Federal Reserve said the U.S. manufacturing output
unexpectedly rose 0.2% in December. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nFOMHCEG7G
** LG Chem Ltd 051910.KS jumped to a six-month high on
report of a joint venture factory between the company and
Hyundai Motor Co 005380.KS in South Korea to make battery
cells for electric vehicles. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N29P08X
** South Korean pharmaceutical firms surged after the
country confirmed its first case of a new coronavirus.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N29P1G2 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N29P15L
** Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 005930.KS gained 1.8% after
it named its youngest president as its new smartphone chief.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N29P04T
** Foreigners were net buyers of 53.9 billion won ($46.55
million) worth of shares on the main board.
** The won was quoted at 1,158.1 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform KRW=KFTC , 0.11% higher than its previous
close at 1,159.4.
** In offshore trading, the won KRW= was quoted at 1,158.2
per U.S. dollar, up 0.2% from the previous day, while in
non-deliverable forward trading, its one-month contract
KRW1MNDFOR= was quoted at 1,157.1 per dollar.
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside
Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.05%. Japanese stocks .N225
rose 0.18%. MKTS/GLOB
** The KOSPI has risen 2.96% so far this year.
** The trading volume was 534.80 million shares and, of the
total traded issues of 906, the number of advancing shares was
276.
** The won has lost 0.1% against the dollar so far this
year.
** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds KTBc1 fell 0.10 point to 110.20, while the
3-month Certificate of Deposit rate was quoted at 1.46% in late
afternoon trade.
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by
2.5 basis points to 1.462% in late afternoon trade, while the
benchmark 10-year yield rose by 2.3 basis points to 1.768%.
($1 = 1,157.9400 won)
(Reporting by Joori Roh; editing by Uttaresh.V)
((joori.roh@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 6936 1493;))