S.Korean stocks flat with investor focus on corporate earnings

SHINWON

20/04/2022 07:58

* KOSPI flat, foreigners net buyers
    * Korean won slightly up against U.S. dollar
    * South Korea benchmark bond yield falls
    * For the midday report, please click  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2WI0FS

    SEOUL, April 20 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean
financial markets:
    
    ** South Korean shares ended flat on Wednesday as investors
turned focus on corporate earnings results amid uncertainties
over the U.S. monetary policy and the Ukraine crisis. The Korean
won strengthened slightly, while the benchmark bond yield fell.
    
    ** The benchmark KOSPI  .KS11  closed flat at 2,718.69,
after hitting a two-week high on Tuesday. 
    
    ** Dampening risk appetite, the International Monetary Fund
slashed its forecast for global economic growth by nearly a full
percentage point, citing Russia's war in Ukraine, and warning
that inflation was now a "clear and present danger" for many
countries.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2WH12M
    
    ** Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans said
the U.S. central bank could raise its policy target range to
2.25% to 2.5% by the year-end and then take stock of the state
of the economy, but if inflation remains high will likely need
to hike rates further.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2WH1CN
    
    ** The stock market is searching for a direction amid
macroeconomic uncertainties, with investors focusing on earnings
results of major companies this week and the following week,
said Shinhan Financial Investment analyst Choi Yoo-june.
    
    ** Among the heavyweights, technology giant Samsung
Electronics  005930.KS  rose 0.15%, while peer SK Hynix
 000660.KS  was flat. Battery maker LG Energy Solution
 373220.KS  gained 0.23%.
    
    ** Foreigners were net buyers of 94.2 billion won ($76.21
million) worth of shares on the main board. 
    
    ** The won closed trading at 1,236.1 per dollar on the
onshore settlement platform  KRW=KFTC , 0.06% higher than its
previous close at 1,236.9.
    
    ** In offshore trading, the won  KRW=  was quoted at 1,236.2
per dollar, up 0.3% from the previous day, while in
non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract
 KRW1MNDFOR=  was quoted at 1,236.0.
    
    ** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year
treasury bonds  KTBc1  rose 0.02 point to 105.37 in late
afternoon trade.
    
    ** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by
4.7 basis points to 2.945%, while the benchmark 10-year yield
dropped 6.3 basis points to 3.300%.

     ($1 = 1,236.0700 won)

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