▲ This photo taken on July 14, 2026, shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul during morning trading hours. (Yonhap)

stocks-morning

Seoul shares sharply down late Tue. morning on retail selling

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- Seoul shares extended losses late Tuesday morning, led by falls in semiconductors and other market heavyweights, amid investor worries over the renewed tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over artificial intelligence (AI) sectors.

After opening 0.56 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended losses, trading 139.03 points, or 2.04 percent, lower at 6,667.90 as of 11:20 a.m.

The decline comes after the KOSPI nose-dived 9 percent in the previous session due to a massive sell-off of technology stocks.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.26 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite dropped 1.55 percent.

A standoff between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, along with a slump in SK hynix's U.S.-listed shares overnight, sapped investor sentiment.

Individuals sold a net 2.33 trillion won (US$1.56 billion), while institutions and foreigners bought a net 1.93 trillion won and 427.8 billion won, respectively.

In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed.

Chip giant SK hynix fell 4.23 percent, and top carmaker Hyundai Motor plunged 6.53 percent.

Defense firm Hanwha Aerospace declined 5.02 percent, and leading steelmaker POSCO Holdings shed 1.46 percent.

Among gainers, market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 0.39 percent and flag carrier Korean Air climbed 0.19 percent.

The Korean won was trading at 1,494.35 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., up 3.15 won from the previous session.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]