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| ▲ The opening benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is displayed on a screen inside the dealing room in Hana Bank, central Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2025. (Yonhap) |
stocks-morning
Seoul stocks down late Fri. morning ahead of US employment data
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded lower late Friday morning, as investors took a cautious stance ahead of the key U.S. employment data release.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) inched down 0.36 point, or 0.01 percent, to 3,200.47 as of 11:20 a.m.
The KOSPI started off higher, following overnight advances on Wall Street, after a recent batch of labor market data reinforced investors' expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut rates this month.
But the index lost ground as foreigners and institutional investors sold off equities.
Investors are keeping a wait-and-see stance ahead of the August U.S. employment data to be released later in the day, which will provide clues to the Fed's next policy direction.
Top-cap Samsung Electronics declined 0.71 percent, while its rival SK hynix advanced 3.2 percent.
Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace fell 0.54 percent, top carmaker Hyundai Motor retreated 0.9 percent, and shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries slid 0.39 percent.
The local currency was quoted at 1,390.4 won against the greenback as of 11:20 a.m., up 2.1 won from the previous session's close.
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