Seoul: Won slips as greenback stands firm; stocks wobble

[SEOUL] The South Korean won ended at its lowest since early March on Friday as the US dollar basked in the glow of the US economy's optimistic outlook.

The won was quoted at 1,203.0 to the US dollar at the conclusion of onshore trade, down 0.3 per cent compared to Thursday's close of 1,199.1. It was the currency's seventh straight session of decline, losing 1.5 per cent for the week.

South Korean shares were directionless throughout the session in relatively low volumes due to the won's slump.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) closed nearly unchanged at 2,035.90 points.

Offshore investors sold a net 92.7 billion won (S$111.09 million) worth of Kospi shares.

REUTERS