South Korean stocks ended slightly higher Thursday, despite big-cap tech losses, as investors assessed the Bank of Korea's surprise back-to-back policy rate cut to spur growth. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) added 1.61 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 2,504.67, ending a two-day losing streak. Trade volume was a bit slim at 333.44 million shares worth 7.37 trillion won (US$5.28 billion), with winners outnumbering los

South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street led by declines in big-cap tech shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) shed 3.05 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,500.01 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Foreigners were on a selling mode, which offset buying by institutions and retail investors. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.31 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite slid 0.6 percent as major tech shares lo

South Korean stocks fell Tuesday as investors sat on the sidelines following sharp gains the previous session, with US President-elect Donald Trump vowing tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 13.98 points, or 0.55 percent, to close at 2,520.36, ending a two-day winning streak. Trade volume was moderate at 434.77 million shares worth 8.51 trillion won (US$6.09 billion), with winners ou

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday, despite overnight U.S. rallies, led by losses in auto and financial shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 11.04 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,523.30 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 0.99 percent to a record high and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.27 percent, as investors welcomed Trump's nomination of Scott Bessent as his treasury secretary on hope that he would gui

South Korean stocks rose more than 1.3 percent Monday as investors hunted for big-cap tech bargains amid hopes for the new Donald Trump administration's softer approach to tariffs. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 33.1 points, or 1.32 percent, to close at 2,534.34. It marked the highest level since Nov. 8, when the index closed at 2,561.15. Trade volume was heavy at 535.26 million shares worth 12.54 trillion won ($8.95 bill

Posco International, the trading and energy arm of Posco Group, announced Monday that its local subsidiary has completed the first gas processing plant in Queensland, Australia. In April 2022, Posco International acquired Senex Energy together with Hancock Prospecting. It aims to triple Senex's annual natural gas production from 20 petajoules to 60 petajoules, enough to produce approximately 1.2 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas. Senex Energy has initiated commissioning tests for

A Posco factory in the southeastern city of Pohang has suffered its second fire in two weeks, officials said Monday, with no casualties reported. The fire started at the steel company's patented No. 3 Finex furnace of the plant, located about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 11:18 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters dispatched 21 fire trucks and some 50 personnel to the scene before extinguishing the fire at 1:13 a.m. Monday. The police and fire agency plan to look into the exact cause of the f

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, led by gains from top-cap Samsung Electronics and other major tech shares. The benchmark Kospi added 19.51 points, or 0.78 percent, to 2,520.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The increase was driven by institutional buying, which offset selling by foreigners and retail investors. On Friday, the Kospi rose above 2,500 points for the first time in 11 sessions following a sharp drop the previous week amid concerns over expected policy changes by the

South Korean stocks rose nearly 1 percent to top 2,500 points Friday as foreign investors returned to net buyers for the first time in 11 sessions. The local currency fell to surpass 1,400 won against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 20.61 points, or 0.83 percent, to close at 2,501.24. It is the first time that the main index topped the 2,500-point threshold since it ended at 2,531.66 on Nov. 11. Trade volume was moderate at 534.9 million shares worth 7.8 tri

South Korean steelmakers on Friday called for establishing a joint consultative body with the government to devise strategies for expected policy changes by the Donald Trump administration, the industry ministry said. Officials from major steelmakers, including Posco and Hyundai Steel, made the call during a meeting with Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun in Seoul, where they discussed potential impacts of new policy measures by the upcoming US government and their responses, according to the Mini

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Kospi added 18.82 points, or 0.76 percent, to 2,499.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.06 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite gained 0.03 percent. In Seoul, major shares started in positive territory. Chip giant SK hynix rose 1.9 percent, and leading battery maker LG Energy Solution advanced 1.87 percent. Top carmaker Hyundai climbed 0.2

South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Thursday as investors remained cautious following US chip giant Nvidia's earnings report. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 3.75 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,478.54 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.32 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.11 percent before Nvidia released its quarterly report after the bell. Nvidia reported third-quarter earnings that

South Korean steel giant Posco Group said Wednesday that it will shut down a wire rod mill at its steelworks in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, citing global oversupply. The company explained that the decision reflects recent market challenges, including the ongoing global steel surplus, aging facilities, and the impact of China’s low-cost exports. According to Posco, the global wire rod market in 2023 had a production capacity of approximately 200 million metric tons, while demand reac

South Korea's leading steelmaker, Posco, said Tuesday it shut down a wire rod mill in its factory in the southeastern city of Pohang in an effort to boost profitability and managerial efficiency. The Unit 1 wire rod mill at the Pohang factory, 273 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was brought to an end in the day after more than 45 years of operation, according to the steelmaker. The shutdown decision was made due to the heated competition and oversupply in the global wire rod market from chea

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun visited Posco Group’s battery materials subsidiary Posco Future M’s anode manufacturing plant in Sejong, pledging to support the facility in recovering its production levels. While touring the site Monday, Kang said, “Natural graphite and anode materials are critical minerals with high reliance on imports, underscoring the urgent need to diversify the supply chains. The government will actively support companies, including Posco Future M