South Korean shares fall, won firms as Middle East tensions escalate
South Korean shares fall, won firms as Middle East tensions escalate SEOUL, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares slipped nearly 2% on Monday as traders returned from a long weekend and assessed renewed attacks across the Middle East that could further disrupt global energy supplies.
** Weighing on sentiment, Saudi authorities reported that 1 person was killed and nearly a dozen injured in what they said was a new attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, a day after a Houthi-claimed strike killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
** The won strengthened to its highest level against the dollar since October 4, 2024, while the benchmark bond yield fell.
** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 was down 114.80 points, or 1.73%, at 6,511.13, as of 0157 GMT. ** Shares of chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS fell 1.43%, while peer SK Hynix 000660.KS lost 2.44%.
** Bucking the broader decline, battery maker LG Energy Solution 373220.KS climbed 0.25%. Among other index heavyweights, Hyundai Motor 005380.KS was unchanged, while sister automaker Kia Corp 000270.KS rose 1.69%.
** Steelmaker POSCO Holdings 005490.KS shed 1.31%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics 207940.KS fell 1.97%. ** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 604.8 billion won. ** The won was quoted at 1,336.1 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 0.44% higher than its previous close at 1,342.0. ** In offshore trading, the won KRW= was quoted at 1,335.6 per dollar, up 0.3% on the day, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract KRW1MNDFOR= was quoted at 1,334.6. ** The KOSPI has risen 54.51% so far this year. ** The won has strengthened 7.7% against the dollar so far this year. ** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds KTBc1 gained 0.18 point to 102.68.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield KR3YT=RR fell 4.8 basis points to 3.946%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10YT=RR fell 6.6 basis points to 4.328%.
(Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
((Cynthia.Kim@thomsonreuters.com; 822 3704 5655; Reuters Messaging: cynthia.kim.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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