Seoul: Stocks gain as optimism over Clinton offsets woes at home

[SEOUL] South Korean shares bounced on Monday as the FBI's clean chit for Democrat Hillary Clinton gave investors relief while deepening anxiety about President Park Geun-hye's political scandal continued to weigh on the local currency.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 0.8 per cent at 1,997.58 points.

The won was quoted at 1,143.1 to the dollar at the conclusion of onshore trade, almost unchanged compared to Friday's close of 1,143.4.

Offshore investors sold a net 219.8 billion won (S$267.3 million) worth of KOSPI shares while domestic institutions bought a net 288.6 billion won worth, offsetting foreign selling.

REUTERS