S.Korean stocks steady; foreigners buy for 7th session

Samsung Publishing

17/01/2019 07:08

* Korean won falls vs USD
    * South Korea bond yields down
    * For the midday report, please click  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1ZH18M

    SEOUL, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
    ** South Korea's KOSPI stock index  .KS11  remained steady
on Thursday with no fresh risks, while Brexit uncertainties
remained and Beijing plans to inject masses of cash into its
financial system. The Korean won fell while bond yields also
fell.
    
    ** Country's major companies such as SK Hynix  000660.KS 
and Hyundai Motor  005380.KS  and Kia Motors  000270.KS  are
expected to release their 2018 annual results next week.
    
    ** China's central bank said it will make another big cash
injection through open market operations on Thursday, following
its biggest-ever net liquidity injection a day earlier.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nB9N1XN026
    
    ** China's Premier Li Keqiang from a state radio said on
Wednesday the country must prepare for difficulties this year as
the economy faces increasing pressure, adding that the
government will boost investment in public services and
infrastructure and expand consumption.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nB9N1YV024
    
    ** At 0633 GMT, the KOSPI closed up 0.96 points, or 0.05
percent, at 2,107.06. The benchmark index gained for the third
session.
    
    **  Shares of South Korean publisher Samsung Publishing Co
Ltd  068290.KS  surged 11.1 pct, hitting its record high
intraday, after local media reported that its affiliate
SmartStudy, which created the viral song "Baby Shark," is
preparing for IPO.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N1ZH15U
    
    ** The won was quoted at 1,122.5 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform  KRW=KFTC , 0.21 percent weaker than its
previous close at 1,120.1.
    
    ** In offshore trading, the won  KRW=  was quoted at
1,122.23 per U.S. dollar, down 0.22 percent from the previous
day, while in one-year non-deliverable forwards  KRWNDFOR=  it
was being asked at 1,105.45 per dollar.
    
    ** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside
Japan  .MIAPJ0000PUS  was down 0.04 percent, after U.S. stocks
ended the previous session with gains  MKTS/GLOB . Japanese
stocks  .N225  weakened 0.2 percent.
    
    ** The KOSPI is up around 3.2 percent so far this year, and
up by 0.44 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 464,810,000 shares and, of the total traded issues
of 896, the number of advancing shares was 303.
    
    ** Foreigners were net buyers of 230,822 million won worth
of shares. They were net buyers for a 7th consecutive session,
marking the longest streak since late August 2018.
    
    ** The U.S dollar has risen 0.8 percent against the won this
year. The won's high for the year is 1,113.81 per dollar on
January 11 2019 and low is 1,130.05 on January 3 2019.
    
    ** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds  KTBc1  rose 0.02 points to 109.31.
    
    ** The Korean 3-month Certificate of Deposit benchmark rate
was quoted at 1.86 percent, while the benchmark 3-year Korean
treasury bond yielded 1.794 percent, lower than the previous
day's 1.81 percent.

 (Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
 ((joori.roh@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5642; Reuters
Messaging: joori.roh.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))