{
  "id": 1674843,
  "title": "(2nd LD) Seoul shares end lower, snapping 5-day winning streak, on profit-taking",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/2nd-ld-seoul-shares-end-lower-snapping-5-day-winning-streak-on-profit",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-18T07:43:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260818006452320"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- Seoul shares concluded lower on Tuesday, ending a five-day upward trend, due to investors cashing in profits on large-cap stocks as hopes for a resolution to the Iran-U.S. conflict waned. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) initially opened 2 percent higher but subsequently declined 108.11 points, or 1.55 percent, to finish at 6,869.83. Trading volume was steady at 399.04 million shares valued at 29.64 trillion won (US$20.9 billion), with the number of declining stocks surpassing the number of gaining ones by a margin of 679 to 195. Institutional investors sold a total of 784.9 billion won worth of stocks, while foreign and retail investors purchased stocks to the tune of 91.4 billion won and 731.29 billion won, respectively.\n\nThe U.S. markets were also on the decline, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipping 0.51 percent and the tech-focused Nasdaq composite slipping 0.32 percent. High oil prices continued to fuel inflation worries, and the prospects of a deal with Iran dwindled after President Donald Trump expressed no inclination to prolong an agreement that was set to expire. Analysts suggested that investors should now be paying attention to earnings reports from Walmart, Home Depot, and Target, as well as minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting, expected to be released later in the week, for insights into the U.S. central bank's future interest rate trajectory.\n\nNotable decliners in the market included Samsung Electronics, which fell 2.19 percent to 268,500 won, and Hyundai Motor, which dropped 3.97 percent to 435,000 won. Defense firm Hanwha Aerospace experienced a 1.21 percent decrease to 1.15 million won, and POSCO Holdings, a major steel producer, saw a 2.84 percent decline to 324,500 won. On the upside, chipmaker SK hynix managed a 1.03 percent gain to 1.66 million won, while food company Samyang Foods gained 5.04 percent to 1.33 million won. The Korean won was reported at 1,411.8 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., a 1.2 won increase from the previous trading session. Bond prices, which inversely correlate with yields, were down; the yield on three-year Treasurys increased 5.1 basis points to 3.847 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds rose 6.3 basis points to 4.110 percent.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- Seoul shares ended lower Tuesday, snapping a five-day...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}