South Korea Stock Market May Extend Winning Streak

RTTNews | vor 112 Tagen

(RTTNews) - The South Korea stock market has moved higher in three straight sessions, collecting more than 60 points or 2.4 percent along the way. The KOSPI now rests just above the 2,580-point plateau and it may add to its winnings on Friday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on easing concerns over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were mostly in the green and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion.

The KOSPI finished sharply higher on Thursday following gains from the technology stocks, chemical companies and automobile producers, while the financial sector was soft.

For the day, the index jumped 34.78 points or 1.36 percent to finish at 2,583.17 after trading between 2,555.98 and 2,583.74. Volume was 669.19 million shares worth 16.82 trillion won. There were 571 gainers and 309 decliners.

Among the actives, Shinhan Financial fell 0.31 percent, while KB Financial tanked 3.17 percent, Hana Financial shed 0.49 percent, Samsung Electronics perked 0.18 percent, Samsung SDI spiked 3.46 percent, LG Electronics added 0.51 percent, SK Hynix jumped 1.81 percent, Naver stumbled 2.00 percent, LG Chem surged 4.32 percent, Lotte Chemical skyrocketed 10.86 percent, SK Innovation advanced 0.93 percent, POSCO Holdings soared 4.34 percent, SK Telecom gained 0.54 percent, KEPCO rose 0.24 percent, Hyundai Mobis was up 0.21 percent, Hyundai Motor accelerated 4.24 percent and Kia Motors rallied 3.27 percent.

The lead from Wall Street is strong as the major averages opened slightly higher on Thursday but only continued to strengthen as the day progressed, ending near session highs.

The Dow jumped 342.87 points or 0.77 percent to finish at 44,711.43, while the NASDAQ surged 295.69 points or 1.50 percent to close at 19,945.64 and the S&P 500 rallied 63.10 points or 1.04 percent to end at 6,115.07.

The rally on Wall Street came after the Labor Department released its report on producer price inflation in January. While the headline number rose by more than expected, components of the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation reading were relatively tame.

The data helped to ease concerns about the outlook for interest rates after Wednesday's consumer price numbers came in hitter than expected.

A separate report from the Labor Department showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by slightly more than expected last week.

Closer to home, South Korea will see unemployment data for January later this morning; the jobless rate is expected to hold steady at 3.7 percent.

ECB Cuts Interest Rates By 25 Bps As Inflation Forecasts Lowered

The European Central Bank slashed its interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday, in line with expectations, while the staff trimmed the euro area price growth projections for this year and next citing prospects of energy prices and stronger euro going forward.

RTTNews | vor 1Std 56 Minuten

Euro Mixed After ECB Announcement

The euro showed mixed trading against its major counterparts in the New York session on Thursday, after the European Central Bank lowered its key rates by 25 basis points, as expected.

RTTNews | vor 2Std 44 Minuten

Swiss Market Ends Marginally Up

The Switzerland market, which stayed positive till well past noon on Thursday, suffered a mild setback in the penultimate hour of the session, but recovered to end the day's session marginally higher. Investors reacted positively to the European Central Bank's decision to lower interest rate by 25 basis points.

RTTNews | vor 4Std 7 Minuten

European Stocks Close Slightly Higher

European stocks closed slightly higher on Thursday with investors digesting the European Central Bank's interest rate decision, and a slew of regional economic data, in addition to assessing the potential impact of Trump Administration's tariff moves on global trade and growth.

RTTNews | vor 4Std 20 Minuten

Canadian Market Modestly Higher In Cautious Trade

Canadian stocks are turning in a mixed performance on Thursday with investors largely making cautious moves, looking ahead to the crucial U.S. and Canadian jobs data due on Friday.

RTTNews | vor 5Std 3 Minuten

U.S. Labor Productivity Slumps 1.5% In Q1, Much More Than Previously Estimated

Revised data released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed U.S. labor productivity tumbled by much more than previously estimated in the first quarter of 2025. The Labor Department said labor productivity slumped by 1.5 percent in the first quarter compared to the previously reported 0.8 percent decline. Economists had expected the decrease by labor productivity to be revised to 0.7 percent.

RTTNews | vor 7Std 33 Minuten

U.S. Trade Deficit Narrows Substantially In April As Imports Plummet

Largely reflecting a sharp pullback by the value of the imports, the Commerce Department released a report on Thursday showing a substantial decrease in the size of the U.S. trade deficit in the month of April. The Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $61.6 billion in April from a revised $138.3 billion in March.

RTTNews | vor 7Std 51 Minuten

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rise To Nearly Eight-Month High

With the more closely watched monthly jobs report looming, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased in the week ended May 31st. The report said initial jobless claims climbed to 247,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised level of 239,000.

RTTNews | vor 8Std 9 Minuten

EURUSD	1.14454	GBPUSD	1.35669	AUDUSD	0.65037
USDJPY	143.462	USDCAD	1.36753	USDCHF	0.81884

Advertisement

South Korea Stock Market May Extend Winning Streak