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| ▲ This photo, taken Feb. 23, 2026, shows the dealing room of Hana Bank in central Seoul. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) stocks-summary
(LEAD) Seoul stocks end at record high of above 5,840 on tech rally
(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom; CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed at a fresh high of above the 5,840-point mark Monday, lifted by gains in technology shares and expectations of investor-friendly policy measures. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 37.56 points, or 0.65 percent, to finish at an all-time high of 5,846.09. On Friday, the index topped the 5,800-point level for the first time.
Trade volume was moderate at 1.46 billion shares worth 31.51 trillion won (US$21.9 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 545 to 346.
Retail investors purchased a net 1.08 trillion won worth of stocks, while foreign and institutional investors sold a net 1.09 trillion won and 142.14 billion won, respectively, in profit-taking.
The rally mirrored gains on Wall Street last week. On Friday (U.S. time), the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.47 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.9 percent.
The KOSPI has been on a strong upward trend, surpassing the 5,000-point mark for the first time on Jan. 27 and crossing the 5,500-point mark on Feb. 12.
"The rally was led by technology firms, which have spearheaded overall market gains this year. The index also drew support from anticipated market reform measures aimed at enhancing shareholder returns and improving valuations," said Na Jeong-won, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities Co.
The government-led initiatives include treasury share reforms and tax policy adjustments.
Technology and automobile shares led the advance.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics rose 1.53 percent to 193,000 won, while chip giant SK hynix climbed 0.21 percent to 951,000 won.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor jumped 2.75 percent to 523,000 won, and its smaller affiliate Kia rose 0.52 percent to 172,700 won.
Flag carrier Korean Air soared 5.17 percent to 26,450 won, and leading budget carrier Jeju Air jumped 7.87 percent to 6,580 won.
Among decliners, defense contractor Hanwha Aerospace fell 0.48 percent to 1,236,000 won, and shipping company HMM declined 0.86 percent to 22,950 won.
The Korean won was quoted at 1,440 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., up 6.6 won from the previous session.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 1.1 basis points to 3.154 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds also climbed 1.4 basis points to 3.405 percent.
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