Seoul shares closed higher Tuesday for the second consecutive day as progress toward ending the record-long US government shutdown boosted investor sentiment. The Korean won sharply fell against the US dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 33.15 points, or 0.81 percent, to close at 4,106.39, after touching as high as 4,187.46.
Trade volume was moderate at 375.15 million shares worth 19.93 trillion won ($13.6 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 540 to 339.
The market advance was limited as the local currency sharply fell against the greenback.
Institutions and foreigners bought a net 223.93 billion won and 77.98 billion won worth of shares, respectively, while individuals sold a net 282.9 billion won.
The KOSPI tracked overnight gains on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.81 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 2.27 percent.
Investor sentiment improved after the US Senate passed a temporary funding measure to end the 41-day government shutdown, with final approval expected Wednesday, analysts said.
"The KOSPI gained ground as investor appetite for riskier assets revived, despite some profit-taking in recently rallied stocks," said Han Ji-young, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities Co.
In Seoul, technology and energy shares led the gains.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics jumped 2.88 percent to 103,500 won and chipmaker SK hynix climbed 2.15 percent to 619,000 won.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution gained 1.61 percent to 473,000 won and state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp. jumped 7.14 percent to 49,550 won.
Among decliners, top automaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.55 percent to 269,000 won and national flag carrier Korean Air dropped 0.91 percent to 21,800 won.
Leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries slipped 0.74 percent to 534,000 won and Hyundai Steel declined 0.78 percent to 31,650 won.
The local currency was quoted at 1,463.30 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., down 11.9 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
