Seoul: Shares fall, foreigners sell for 9th day; won edges down

[SEOUL] Seoul shares closed lower on Tuesday on continued foreign selling, though gains in some large cap firms helped contain the broad market losses.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) ended down 0.6 per cent at 1,956.26 points, hovering around a six-month low touched last week. On Monday, it closed at 1,968.52.

Offshore investors were net sellers for the ninth consecutive session, marking their longest selling spree since Dec 23, 2014.

During the period, they sold a net 1.17 trillion won (S$1.39 billion) worth of shares on the main board, preliminary data showed.

The South Korean won closed local trade down 0.2 per cent at 1,185.0 per dollar, from the previous close at 1,183.1.

REUTERS