SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) — South Korean stocks continued to trade higher late Thursday morning after opening sharply higher.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 5.58 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,586.38 as of 11:20 a.m.
The index had opened sharply higher as investors picked up blue chip bargains, one day after it dipped 3.15 percent on growing concerns of a U.S. economic slowdown sparked by a worse-than-expected manufacturing purchasing managers index.
Overnight, U.S. stocks closed mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.09 percent, following its 1.51 percent plunge the previous day, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq fell for a second consecutive session by dipping 0.30 percent.
In Seoul, large caps traded mixed.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics remained flat, while the world’s No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix soared 3.10 percent.
Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution surged 3.25 percent, with its local rival Samsung SDS advancing 1.02 percent.
Top automaker Hyundai Motor lost 0.43 percent, while its smaller affiliate Kia Motors gained 1.10 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,333.95 won against the U.S. dollar, up 8.25 won from the previous session
bdk@yna.co.kr
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