South Korean stocks rise 1%, won up

[SEOUL] The Korean won rose and bond yields rose. At 0308 GMT, the Kospi was up 27.90 points or 1.11 per cent at 2,551.33, its all-time high intraday level. The index was lifted by robust gains in large tech companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

The won was quoted at 1,116.5 per US dollar, while in one-year non-deliverable forwards KRWNDFOR= it was being transacted at 1,111.7 per dollar.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.63 per cent, after US stocks ended the previous session with mild gains. Japanese stocks rose 1.42 per cent.

At close of trading the previous session, the Kospi was up 24.52 per cent so far this year, and up by 6.97 per cent in the previous 30 days.

The current price-to-earnings ratio is 12.10, the dividend yield is 1.28 per cent and the market capitalisation is 1,242.04 trillion won.

The intraday trading volume on the Kospi index was 209,392,000 shares, and of the total traded issues of 870, the number of advancing shares was 399.

Foreigners were net buyers of 287,590 million won worth of shares.

The won's high for the year is 1,107.3 per dollar on 27 March 2017 and low is 1,211.8 on Jan 3, 2017.

In money and debt markets, the Korean 3-month Certificate of Deposit benchmark rate was quoted at 1.4 per cent, while the benchmark 3-year Korean treasury bond yielded 2.189 per cent, higher than the previous day's 2.16 per cent.

REUTERS