S.Korean won gains on China FX reserves data; stocks flat

Hyundai Glovis

08/08/2018 03:18

* KOSPI index rises, foreigners buy
    * Korean won gains versus U.S. dollar
    * South Korea bond yields up

    Aug 8 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
** The Korean won climbed 0.4 percent against the U.S. dollar on
Wednesday, as China's foreign exchange reserves unexpectedly
rose in July. South Korea's KOSPI stock index  .KS11  was flat
as expectations for increased Beijing's stimulus offset trade
worries. Bond yields edged higher. 
    
** At 0130 GMT, the won was quoted at 1,119.4 per dollar on the
onshore settlement platform  KRW=KFTC , 0.39 percent firmer than
previous close of 1,123.8, in line with other Asian currencies. 
 
** The KOSPI was up 4.57 points or 0.20 percent at 2,304.73.
    
** Shares of Hyundai Motor Group's units fluctuated after a
local news report that Hyundai Motor Group may undertake
restructuring aimed at improving corporate governance.    
Shares of Hyundai Motor  005380.KS  and Hyundai Mobis
 012330.KS  jumped as much as 2 percent and 5 percent,
respectively, while Hyundai Glovis  086280.KS , the group's
logistics unit, fell over 5 percent.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N1UZ07F
    
** China's foreign exchange reserves unexpectedly rose in July
even as worries over escalating trade tensions between the
United States and China have caused market volatility. Reserves
rose $5.82 billion in July to $3.118 trillion, compared with a
rise of $1.51 billion in June, central bank data showed on
Tuesday.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N1UY383
 
** In offshore trading, the won  KRW=  was quoted at 1,119.1 per
U.S. dollar, down 0.19 percent from the previous session, while
in one-year non-deliverable forwards  KRWNDFOR=  it was being
transacted at 1,101.95 per dollar. 
 
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
 .MIAPJ0000PUS  was up 0.52 percent, after U.S. stocks ended the
previous session with mild gains  MKTS/GLOB . Japanese stocks
 .N225  rose 0.28 percent. 
 
** The KOSPI slipped 6.8 percent so far this year, and rose 2.16
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 84,440,000 shares and, of the total traded issues of
890, the number of advancing shares was 430.
 
** Foreigners were net buyers of 33,669 million won worth of
shares.
 
** The U.S dollar rose 4.94 percent against the won this year.
The won's high for the year is 1,053.55 per dollar on April 2,
2018, and low is 1,140.4 on July 19, 2018.
 
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year
treasury bonds  KTBc1  dropped to 108.2.
 
** The Korean 3-month Certificate of Deposit benchmark rate was
quoted at 1.65 percent compared with a previous close of 1.65
percent, while the benchmark 3-year Korean treasury bond yielded
2.086 percent, higher than the previous day's 2.08 percent.

 (Reporting by Hayoung Choi, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
 ((hayoung.choi@thomsonreuters.com;))