KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers

Korean won strengthens against dollar

South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

SEOUL, Sept 8 – Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares rose on Monday, as builders rallied on a policy boost aimed at easing the housing shortage in the capital, though automakers fell as a raid at Hyundai’s U.S. car construction plant lifted concerns over production delays.

** The benchmark KOSPI was up 9.38 points, or 0.29%, at 3,214.50, as of 0156 GMT.

** The construction sector led gains in the benchmark index, rising 1.6%, as traders welcomed a government policy package announced on Sunday. The plan includes building more affordable homes than previously proposed by utilizing land owned by state-run developers.

** Shares of Taeyoung Engineering & Construction jumped 5.72% and GS Engineering & Construction rose 1.71%, while Daewoo Engineering & Construction climbed 1.06%.

** South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were down 1.14% and 1.59%, respectively, after a raid last week at its U.S. manufacturing facility raised worries about business risks.

** Among other index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics rose 0.58%, while peer SK Hynix gained 1.83%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 0.44%.

** Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 1.27%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics rose 0.10%.

** Of the total 929 traded issues, 533 shares advanced, while 347 declined.

** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 124.6 billion won .

** The won was quoted at 1,388.0 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.03% higher than its previous close at 1,388.4.

** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds gained 0.04 point to 107.26.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 1.5 basis points to 2.452%, while the benchmark 10-year yield dropped 1.1 basis points to 2.843%.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.