South Korean shares flat on first trading day of 2025 amid mixed data

Kakao

02/01/2025 01:51

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      KOSPI flat, foreigners net sellers
    

        * 
      Korean won strengthens against dollar
    

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      South Korea benchmark bond yield flat
    

  
       SEOUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean
financial markets:
    
    ** South Korean shares traded little changed on Thursday
amid mixed economic data, after ending 2024 as the worst
performing Asian market. 
    ** The benchmark KOSPI  .KS11  was marginally down by 0.82
points, or 0.03%, at 2,398.67 as of 0136 GMT.  
    ** In 2024, the KOSPI fell 9.6%, while the MSCI Asia Pacific
excluding Japan index  .MIAPJ0000PUS  rose 7.7%. 
    ** South Korea's exports grew at a faster pace in December,
beating market expectations, and ended the year with a record
performance, data showed on Wednesday.
    ** But factory activity contracted during the month, with
manufacturers' sentiment turning pessimistic for the first time
since mid-2020 due to uncertainty over U.S. trade policy and
domestic politics, a survey showed on Thursday.    
    ** South Korea's central bank governor said the pace of
monetary policy easing would need to be flexible this year due
to heightened political and economic uncertainty.    
    ** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics
 005930.KS  fell 0.56% and peer SK Hynix  000660.KS  lost 1.61%,
but battery maker LG Energy Solution  373220.KS  climbed 0.72%.
    ** Hyundai Motor  005380.KS  added 1.42% and sister
automaker Kia Corp  000270.KS  gained 1.09%, while e-commerce
firms and biopharmaceutical stocks fell. 
    ** Of the total 923 traded issues, 548 shares advanced,
while 311 declined.
    ** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 59.7 billion
won ($40.63 million) on the main board on Thursday.
    ** The won was quoted at 1,469.3 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform  KRW=KFTC , 0.20% higher than its previous
close at 1,472.3.
    ** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds  KTBc1  rose 0.06 point to 106.71.
    ** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield
 KR3YT=RR  fell by 2.3 basis points to 2.573%, while the
benchmark 10-year yield  KR10YT=RR  was flat at 2.871%.

($1 = 1,469.2100 won)

 (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)
 ((jihoon.lee@thomsonreuters.com;))