South Korea: Stocks end lower on coronavirus anxiety
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[SEOUL] South Korean shares closed lower on Friday, after hitting a 2-week high in the previous session, as the unabating spread of the coronavirus fanned worries about its global economic impact.
The KOSPI ended down 15.99 points, or 0.72 per cent, at 2,211.95. The benchmark, however, gained 4.4 per cent for the week, marking its best weekly gain in four years.
Foreigners were net buyers of US$20.82 million worth of shares on the main board, while local institutions offloaded 466 billion won worth of stocks.
The death toll in mainland China rose to 636 on Friday, up by 73 from the previous day, the National Health Commission said. The total number of infections in China rose by 3,143 to 31,161.
Investors took profits after the index surged on Thursday and as worries heightened over the spread of the virus, said Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Sang-young.
The KOSPI has risen 0.65 per cent so far this year, and gained 1.4 per cent in the previous 30 trading sessions.
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The trading volume was 766.71 million shares and of the total traded issues of 905, the number of advancing shares was 336.
REUTERS
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