Seoul: Stocks, won weaken on inflation fears; bond yields jump after central bank meet

[SEOUL] South Korean shares tumbled on Tuesday and the won hit its lowest in nearly 15 months as soaring oil prices stoked inflation worries, while the benchmark bond yield rose after the Bank of Korea signalled further tightening as early as November.

The Kospi closed down 39.92 points or 1.35 per cent at 2,916.38, after having fallen as much as 1.85 per cent earlier in the session. The country's financial markets were closed on Monday for a public holiday.

Leading declines on the benchmark were tech giants, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix dropping 3.50 per cent and 2.66 per cent, respectively.

Other heavyweights such as platform companies Naver and Kakao fell 4.25 per cent and 3.40 per cent, respectively.

Global risk appetite dampened after oil prices extended gains into a 4th day amid a rebound in demand that is contributing to energy shortages in major economies.

Investors are now focused on inflation and retail sales numbers this week.

Foreigners were net sellers of 821.2 billion won (S$928.5 million) worth of shares on the main board.

The won ended at 1,198.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.35 per cent lower than its previous close.

In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,199.1 per dollar, down 0.3 per cent from the previous day, while in non-deliverable forward trading the 1-month contract was quoted at 1,199.5.

At home, the Bank of Korea kept interest rates steady after a rate hike in August, but flagged further tightening could come as soon as November to curb rising inflation and household debt.

Following the central bank press conference, December futures on 3-year treasury bonds fell 0.41 point to 108.64.

The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 13 basis points to 1.822 per cent, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose by 8.3 basis points to 2.445 per cent.

REUTERS