Seoul shares edged up on Thursday, with sentiment lifted by news the Greek parliament had approved austerity measures to avoid the country defaulting on its debts, but gains were limited after sharp rises in the previous session. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index finished up 0.3 percent at 2,100.69 points.
KOSPI 200 September futures ended up 0.85 points at 276.60 points and the KOSPI 200 spot index rose 0.56 points to 275.17. The junior Kosdaq market ended up 0.63 percent at 479.55. Foreign investors were buyers of a net 180.5 billion won ($168.2 million) worth of stocks, and institutions picked up a net 150.7 billion won, buying shares for a ninth straight session.
Brokerages rallied, with Woori Investment & Securities rising 1.8 percent and Samsung Securities advancing 3.4 percent. Falls in refiners weighed, as S-Oil shed 1.8 percent and SK Innovation declined 1 percent. Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd jumped 43 percent on its first day of trading. Shares in the aviation equipment and parts maker ended at 22,150 won compared with the initial public offering price of 15,500 won.
Korea Finance Corp, a government financial body, controls 26.4 percent of KAI. Banking stocks showed a muted reaction to news late on Wednesday South Korea would require banks to raise risk weightings in their capital ratios for heavy borrowers as part of measures to prevent heavy household debts from causing a fresh financial crisis. Hana Financial Group rose 0.54 percent. Woori Finance Holdings advanced 1.1 percent.