South Korean shares slide over 2% as US-China trade tensions resurface
- The benchmark KOSPI was down 40.87 points, or 1.13%, at 3,569.73
SEOUL: Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
South Korea’s shares fell more than 2% on Monday, weighed down by renewed trade tensions between the United States and China, the country’s two largest trading partners, which reignited concerns over global economic stability.
The benchmark KOSPI was down 40.87 points, or 1.13%, at 3,569.73, as of 0114 GMT, after having dropped 2.44% earlier in the session.
US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to introduce high tariffs against China, a move that added to investor concerns after Beijing announced measures to tighten control its critical mineral exports.
Trump later struck a more reassuring tone, saying “everything would be fine.”
US stock futures climbed more than 1% during Asian hours on Monday, rebounding after a sharp selloff on Friday. ** South Korea’s exports in the first 10 days of this month fell 15.2% from year-ago levels, according to data.
Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 2.12% and peer SK Hynix lost 3.74%, dragging the benchmark index lower, after a recent rally surrounding optimism over artificial intelligence tools.
Samsung Electronics is expected to post its highest third-quarter profit since 2022, driven by higher memory chip prices supported by server demand as customers rebuild inventories, analysts’ estimates showed.
LG Energy Solution climbed 0.97% after the battery maker estimated a jump in profit.
Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were up 0.23% and 0.80%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 2.66%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics rose 0.10%.
Of the total 930 traded issues, 235 shares advanced, while 653 declined.
Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 432.8 billion won ($303.36 million). ** The won was steady at 1,427.0 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform.
The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 1.7 basis points to 2.569%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell by 2.7 basis points to 2.931%.