S.Korean stocks shrink on profit taking, feeble data

Hanjin Heavy Ind & Const Holdings

15/02/2019 07:09

* KOSPI index tumbles 1.3 pct, foreigners sell
    * Korean won weakens versus U.S. dollar
    * South Korea bond yields down
    * For the midday report, please click  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N20A03A

    SEOUL, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
** South Korea's KOSPI stock index  .KS11  fell on Friday as
investors creamed off profit after four straight sessions of
gains, while risk appetite was dented by weak data from the
United States and China. The Korean won and bond yields fell.  
             
** The index closed down 29.76 points or 1.34 percent at
2,196.09, after a more than 1 percent rise on Thursday. For the
week, it added 0.9 percent, snapping losses a week earlier.     
       
** U.S. retail sales recorded their biggest drop in more than
nine years in December as receipts fell across the board,
raising fresh worries about the strength of the world's top
economy.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2081MC        

** China's factory-gate inflation slowed for a seventh straight
month in January to its weakest pace since September 2016,
raising concerns the world's second-biggest economy may see the
return of deflation as domestic demand cools.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N20928Y      

** Shares of Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Holdings
 003480.KS  jumped 20.9 percent as its shipbuilding unit Hanjin
Heavy  097230.KS  agreed with Philippine banks on debt
restructuring regarding its shipyard in the Philippines.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N20A18M   
     
** The won was quoted at 1,128.7 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform  KRW=KFTC , 0.32 percent weaker than its
previous close at 1,125.1. The currency shed 0.4 percent against
the dollar on a weekly basis, marking a second straight weekly
loss.   
     
** In offshore trading, the won  KRW=  was quoted at 1,128.46
per U.S. dollar, down 0.27 percent from the previous day, while
in one-year non-deliverable forwards  KRW1YNDFOR=  it was being
transacted at 1,113.55 per dollar.  
    
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
 .MIAPJ0000PUS  was down 1.21 percent, after U.S. stocks ended
the previous session with mild losses  MKTS/GLOB . Japanese
stocks  .N225  weakened 1.13 percent.  
    
** The KOSPI is up around 9.1 percent so far this year, and up
by 9.73 percent in the previous 30 trading sessions. 
** 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 395.65 million shares and, of the total traded
issues of 896, the number of advancing shares was 273. 
** Foreigners were net sellers of 178.81 billion won worth of
shares on the main board. 
    
** The U.S dollar has risen 1.36 percent against the won this
year. The won's high for the year is 1,108.67 per dollar on
January 31 2019 and low is 1,133.4 on January 21 2019. 
    
** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds  KTBc1  rose 0.06 points to 109.35.
     
** The Korean 3-month Certificate of Deposit rate was quoted at
1.86 percent, while the most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond
yielded 1.779 percent, lower than 1.795 percent last quoted on
the previous session.

 (Reporting by Hayoung Choi; Editing by Shreejay Sinha)
 ((hayoung.choi@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5643; Reuters
Messaging: hayoung.choi@thomsonreuters.com))