SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports rose 25.8 percent in 2021 from the previous year to reach an all-time high on the back of solid demand for chips and petroleum products amid a global economic recovery, the industry ministry said Saturday. Outbound shipments stood at US$644.54 billion last year, compared with $512.5 [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks are expected to gather ground next week as an optimistic mood from solid U.S. consumer spending during the end-of-the-year holiday season and other factors will likely whet investor appetite for risky assets. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,977.65 on Thursday, the last [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Retail investors who bought shares of foreign luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Gucci enjoyed higher returns this year. According to data from the Korea Securities Depository, the most net-bought stock by domestic individual investors among those listed on the French stock market was Hermes International SCA. [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean construction companies have won US$30.6 billion worth of orders from overseas this year, surpassing the $30 billion mark for the second straight year despite the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. A total of 318 builders have won 501 such deals from 91 countries in 2021, with [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — A Seoul court has rejected a Hong Kong-based private equity firm’s request for Kyobo Life Insurance Co. to carry out its obligation with regard to a put option that it has been trying to exercise, the South Korean insurer said Tuesday. The ruling appears to have removed a major [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks are expected to move in a tight range next week, as investors will likely remain wary over uncertainties from the omicron coronavirus variant and rising tensions between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added [...]
SEJONG, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Corporate retirement pension funds under management expanded more than 16 percent in 2020 from a year earlier as the system has taken root here, government data showed Thursday. Cumulative corporate retirement pension funds stood at 255 trillion won (US$214 billion) as of end-December last year, up 16.1 percent from [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Turnover of South Korea’s main bourse plumbed a 19-month low in December as retail investors flee stocks for higher returns, data showed Thursday. The average daily turnover of the KOSPI market stood at slightly over 10 trillion won (US$8.39 billion) for 16 trading sessions till Wednesday, according to the [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Dividends by South Korea’s four major financial holding firms are expected to hit an all-time high in 2021 as they have decided to return more of their bumper profits to shareholders, sources said Monday. The combined dividend payout of the four is likely to reach around 3.83 trillion won [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean stocks are expected to gain momentum next week, as investor sentiment will be buoyed by eased uncertainty about the U.S. monetary policy, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 3,017.73 points Friday, little changed from 3,010.23 points a week ago. The [...]