July 17, 2024 at 03:05 am EDT
* KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers
* Korean won strengthens against dollar
* South Korea benchmark bond yield falls
SEOUL, July 17 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares fell on Wednesday, with chipmakers and battery makers leading losses, as traders weighed the consequences of a potential victory for Donald Trump in November's U.S. presidential elections.
** The benchmark KOSPI closed down 22.80 points, or 0.80%, at 2,843.29.
** Compared with U.S. President Joe Biden, Trump is seen less supportive of climate-friendly policies such as transition to electric vehicles.
** Shares of South Korean chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 1.14% and peer SK Hynix dropped 5.36%, tracking losses in Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC .
** Taiwan should pay the U.S. for its defence as it does not give the country anything, Republican presidential candidate Trump said in an interview, sending TSMC shares lower.
** "His negative comments towards TSMC raised worries about spill-over effects on South Korean chipmakers," said Na Jeong-hwan, an analyst at NH Investment Securities.
** Battery maker LG Energy Solution slid 2.89%, while peer Samsung SDI fell 1.11%.
** SK Innovation jumped 5.65% as investors awaited SK Group's decision over business restructuring to mitigate financial difficulties of its battery business.
** Among other index heavyweights, automakers fell, but e-commerce firms and biopharmaceutical manufacturers rose.
** Of the total 933 traded issues, 412 shares advanced, while 462 declined.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 261.4 billion won ($189.27 million) on the main board.
** The won was quoted at 1,381.5 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.25% higher than its previous close at 1,385.0.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 1.2 basis points to 3.047%, while the benchmark 10-year yield dropped 2.4 basis points to 3.136%.
($1 = 1,381.0600 won) (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

Sumber : Reuters