South Korean shares flat as chip gains balance broader weakness
SEOUL: Round-up of South Korean financial markets: South Korean shares were little changed on Tuesday as strength in semiconductor stocks offset weakness elsewhere, while investors awaited domestic trade data and US chipmaker Micron’s earnings for signals on AI-related chip demand. The benchmark KOSPI was down 5.34 points, or 0.08%, at 6,884.40, as of 0143 GMT. South Korean chipmakers Samsung…
South Korean shares held steady on Tuesday amid a mixed performance, with gains in chip stocks offsetting broader declines, as investors awaited key economic data and Micron Technology's earnings report. The KOSPI index closed 5.34 points, or 0.08%, lower at 6,884.40, as of 0143 GMT. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both posted gains of 1.76% and 0.51%, respectively.
A Samsung executive stated that high-bandwidth memory is projected to make up nearly 30% of DRAM chipmakers' wafer capacity by next year, up from 20% currently. Meanwhile, US stocks slipped overnight due to higher oil prices and rising Treasury yields, casting doubt on the outlook for AI-related chip demand. Investors are also looking to South Korea's September trade data and Micron Technology's upcoming earnings to gauge market sentiment.
Despite a strong performance in the chip sector, other major indices saw declines, including LG Energy Solution (-3.16%), Hyundai Motor (-1.55%), and Kia Corp (-2.47%). POSCO Holdings (-3%) and Samsung BioLogics (-2.36%) also underperformed. Of the 907 traded issues, 162 shares rose while 702 fell. Foreign investors sold shares worth 941.8 billion won, while the won weakened marginally against the dollar at 1,360.4 per dollar, a 0.04% drop from the previous close.
The three-year Korean treasury bond yield edged down 1.6 basis points to 4.094%, while the 10-year yield slipped 2.2 basis points to 4.522%.
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