Seoul: Shares extend gains on signs of coronavirus slowdown
[SEOUL] South Korean shares rose on Tuesday, building on the previous session's near 4 per cent jump, as investors focused on early signs that the coronavirus pandemic may be slowing down at some places in Europe.
The Seoul stock market's benchmark KOSPI closed up 31.72 points, or 1.77 per cent, at 1,823.60. Still, the index was down 17 per cent for the year.
Foreigners were net sellers of US$126.09 million worth of shares on the main board, extending sell-offs to a 24th session. They sold around US$11.08 billion during the period.
The governors of New York, New Jersey and Louisiana pointed to tentative signs on Monday that the coronavirus outbreak may be starting to plateau but warned against complacency. Deaths from the epidemic in Italy rose by 636 on Monday, but the number of new cases fell sharply.
South Korea reported 47 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the national tally to 10,331.
REUTERS
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Capital Markets & Currencies
Europe: Tech, retail stocks boost Stoxx 600 to one-week high
US: Stocks climb for second straight day
Euro at highest to yen since 2008, markets nervy over Tokyo stepping in
Singapore stocks track Wall Street gains on Tuesday; STI up 1.5%
UBS lifts Chinese stocks to overweight in rare upgrade call
Asia: Most markets rise with earnings, US data in view