Seoul stocks soar to record high amid US-China trade woes, hopes for Fed rate cut

South Korean stocks reached a fresh all-time high Wednesday, amid escalating tensions between the United States and China and hopes for an additional rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The local currency rose against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 95.47 points, or 2.68 percent, to close at 3,657.28, marking the first time to climb past the 3,600 mark. Trade volume was moderate, at 538.8 million shares worth 13.7 trillion won ($9.6 billion). Gainers outnumbere

Oct. 15, 2025

Seoul stocks open higher amid US-China trade tensions

South Korean stocks opened higher on Wednesday amid renewed concerns over a trade war between the United States and China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stocks Price Index rose 40.13 points, or 1.13 percent, to 3,601.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed, as investors weighed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments on the US economy in the face of reemerging trade tensions between the world's largest economies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.

Oct. 15, 2025

Seoul stocks down for 2nd day on renewed US-China trade woes

South Korean stocks returned earlier gains to close lower Tuesday amid renewed woes over a trade war between the United States and China. The local currency fell against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 22.74 points, or 0.63 percent, to close at 3,561.81. Trade volume was heavy at 727.3 million shares worth 18.6 trillion won ($13 billion). Losers outnumbered winners 562 to 315. Institutional investors were net sellers, offloading 629.9 billion won. Foreigners a

Oct. 14, 2025

Seoul stocks open sharply higher on chip rebound, eased trade war woes

South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday as Samsung Electronics delivered a better-than-expected earnings guidance and US President Donald Trump softened rhetoric around tensions with China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 38.64 points, or 1.08 percent, to 3,623.19 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks rebounded after a sell-off on Friday as President Donald Trump played down concerns of escalating tensions with China saying, "It will all be fine." Th

Oct. 14, 2025

Seoul stocks snap 3-day rise; won tumbles to 5-month low

Seoul stocks snapped their three-day winning streak to close over 0.7 percent lower Monday on renewed concerns of a trade war between the United States and China. The local currency fell to its lowest level in more than five months against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index tumbled 26.05 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 3,584.55. Trade volume was moderate at 404.5 million shares worth 14.1 trillion won ($9.9 billion). Losers outnumbered gainers 595 to 272. Foreign

Oct. 13, 2025

Kospi retreats from record high amid US-China trade jitters

Amid renewed concerns over an escalation of the trade war between the United States and China over rare earth exports, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index retreated Monday from Friday’s record high above 3,600, while investor risk aversion deepened and the Korean won fell to a five-month low. The Kospi closed trading at 3,584.55, down 26.05 points, or 0.72 percent, from the previous trading day. After opening at 3,550.08, paring the gains from Friday, the index slipped as low as 3,522.54 in earl

Oct. 13, 2025

Celltrion enters US autoimmune market with Avtozma

Celltrion launched its autoimmune disease treatment Avtozma (tocilizumab) in the US, the world’s largest pharmaceutical market, earlier this month, marking the company’s entry into a competitive sector long dominated by multinational drugmakers. The newly released Avtozma is an intravenous formulation sold directly through Celltrion’s US subsidiary. To enhance market competitiveness, the company set its wholesale acquisition cost at about 35 percent lower than that of the original reference drug

Oct. 13, 2025

Seoul stocks open sharply lower on US-China trade tensions

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower on Monday, amid renewed trade tensions between the United States and China. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 53.77 points, or 1.49 percent, to 3,556.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, President Donald Trump had tried to calm fears of escalating tensions with China in a post on social media, saying that economic troubles with China will "all be fine" and that US "wants to help China, not hurt it." His comments came hours

Oct. 13, 2025

Kospi closes above 3,600 for 1st time

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi surged to a record high Friday morning, breaking the 3,600 mark for the first time as trading resumed following the Chuseok holiday. After a weeklong national holiday that began Oct. 3, the index opened 1.38 percent higher at 3,598.1 and crossed the milestone within minutes, touching 3,605.2 at 9:02 a.m. and peaking at 3,617.86 around 10:05. Gains faded later in the day, with the gauge hovering near 3,600 at about 1 p.m. Foreign investors led the rally, snapping up

Oct. 10, 2025

Global rally lifts sentiment as Korean markets set to reopen

As South Korea prepares to resume trading Friday after a weeklong Chuseok holiday, global assets from stocks to gold surged to new highs on Thursday, signaling continued strength for Korean markets after the break. On Wall Street, major indices extended their climb Wednesday, with the Nasdaq composite and the S&P 500 closing at record highs, up 1.1 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed, ending just below the flatline. The rally easily erased T

Oct. 9, 2025

Kospi's tech rally expected to slow down this month: analysts

The boom of tech and semiconductor shares, a major factor in the advancement of the South Korean stock market this year, could take a breather throughout the rest of October from profit-taking, analysts predicted Thursday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9 percent from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30, according to data from Yonhap Infomax, the financial news and information arm of Yonhap News Agency. Semiconductors led the overall gains, with market top-cap Samsung Electronics advancing

Oct. 9, 2025

Rising home prices in Seoul prompt speculation of new curbs after holidays

Despite the government’s June 27 lending curbs that briefly cooled the housing market, property prices in Seoul are once again on a steep rise, heightening expectations for further policy action after the Chuseok holiday. Apartment prices in Seoul rose 0.27 percent in the fifth week of September, according to data from the state-run Korea Real Estate Board Wednesday. The pace of growth has accelerated for three straight weeks, increasing from 0.08 percent to 0.09 percent, 0.12 percent and 0.19 p

Oct. 8, 2025

Tax agency seizes over W146b in unpaid taxes through seizure of virtual assets

Tax authorities have collected over 146 billion won ($104 million) in unpaid taxes by seizing virtual assets from delinquent taxpayers over the past five years, data showed Tuesday. A total of 14,140 individuals had their virtual assets seized between 2021 and 2024, according to the data submitted by the National Tax Service to Rep. Kim Young-jin of the ruling Democratic Party. When a taxpayer defaults, the head of the local tax office notifies the virtual asset service provider, then freezes th

Oct. 7, 2025

IPOs in S. Korea rise 19% through Q3

Initial public offerings in South Korea rose 19 percent in the first nine months of the year from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday. The proceeds from IPOs stood at 3.41 trillion won ($2.43 billion) in the January-September period, compared with 2.85 trillion won for the same period last year, according to the data from consulting service provider IR Kudos Corp. A total of 55 companies made their debuts on the main bourse KOSPI and the tech-heavy KOSDAQ markets during the cited period, up from

Oct. 7, 2025

From Baby Shark to G-Dragon: Korea’s next wave of IPO hopefuls

A string of long-awaited listings is lining up on South Korea’s capital markets, as companies seek to ride a rebound in investor sentiment. The Kospi’s recent record highs have drawn retail and foreign buyers back, prompting firms that had shelved offerings to revive their plans. The pipeline reflects both pent-up demand and pressure on companies to deliver exits to investors. From household names like "Baby Shark" creator Pinkfong and fashion giant Musinsa to internet-only lender K bank and G-D

Oct. 6, 2025