South Korean shares end week higher as US tariff worries ease

Published on 08/08/2025 at 03:00 am EDT

• KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers
• Korean won weakens against dollar
• South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

(Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares fell on Friday, as investors booked profit after overnight losses on Wall Street, but logged the biggest weekly rise in a month on reduced uncertainty over U.S. tariffs.
** The benchmark KOSPI closed down 17.67 points, or 0.55%, at 3,210.01.
** "The KOSPI fell on profit-taking, especially in sectors of comparably sharper gains in recent days," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.
** The KOSPI rose 2.9% for the week, after dropping 2.4% last week. It was the biggest weekly gain since early July.
** South Korea's trade deal with the U.S. will "take a huge burden off" monetary policymakers at their upcoming meeting later this month, the country's central bank governor said on Thursday.
** The U.S. charges a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea, down from a threatened 25%.
** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics rose 1.84%, while peer SK Hynix lost 2.10%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution also slid 2.07%.
** Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were little changed. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings shed 0.67%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics fell 0.68%.
** Of the total 935 traded issues, 386 shares advanced, while 488 declined.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 157.2 billion won ($113.18 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,389.6 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.26% lower than its previous close at 1,386.0.
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds lost 0.03 point to 107.43.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield was flat at 2.409%, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose by 0.8 basis point to 2.775%. ($1 = 1,388.9800 won)
 (Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Eileen Soreng) 

Sumber : Reuters