South Korean shares end lower on worries about US-China tensions

Published on 10/13/2025 at 03:18 am EDT

• KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers
• Korean won strengthens against dollar
• South Korea benchmark bond yield falls

(Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares fell on Monday on worries about renewed trade tensions between the United States and China, the country's two largest trading partners.
** The won erased losses after hitting a five-month low, as authorities issued a verbal warning against herd-like behaviour.
** The benchmark KOSPI closed down 26.05 points, or 0.72%, at 3,584.55, after falling as much as 2.44% during the session.
** China called U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariffs on Chinese goods hypocritical on Sunday and defended its curbs on exports of rare earth elements and equipment, but stopped short of imposing new levies on U.S. products.
** "It is unlikely negotiations will fall apart, but there might be noises ahead of China's political events," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.
** Chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 1.17% and peer SK Hynix lost 3.04%, dragging the benchmark index lower, after a recent rally surrounding optimism over artificial intelligence tools.
** Samsung Electronics is expected to post its highest third-quarter profit since 2022, driven by higher memory chip prices.
** LG Energy Solution ended up 0.14%, after the battery maker said its third-quarter operating profit likely rose 34% as U.S. consumers rushed to buy electric vehicles to take advantage of government incentives that expired on September 30.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 821.2 billion won ($575.24 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,425.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.08% higher than its previous close at 1,427.0. During the session, it hit the weakest level since early May at 1,434.0.
** South Korea's foreign exchange authorities said they were closely monitoring the possibility of herd-like market behaviour amid increasing volatility in the won.
** Authorities were also believed to have sold dollar to curb the won's losses during the session, according to a local dealer.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 3.2 basis points to 2.554%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell by 2.5 basis points to 2.933%. ($1 = 1,427.5700 won)
( Reporting by Jihoon Lee and Yena Park; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar )

Sumber : Reuters