stocks-morning
Seoul shares fall late Mon. morning ahead of U.S. economic data
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- Seoul shares fell more than 1 percent late Monday morning as investors remained on the sidelines ahead of the releases of key economic data in the United States later this week.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 1.11 percent, or 29.3 points, to 2,620.48 as of 11:20 a.m.
Market watchers said investors were apparently taking a wait-and-see approach ahead of the release of the U.S. manufacturing purchasing managers index for September and the latest jobs data due this week.
Most blue chips fell across the board, with chip and bio shares leading the overall decline. Market heavyweight Samsung Electronics tumbled 2.34 percent, and Samsung Biologics shed 0.71 percent.
Automotive shares also lost ground. Top automaker Hyundai Motor plunged 3.34 percent and affiliate Kia slipped 3.05 percent.
Battery and internet service operators, however, gained momentum. Top battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution rose 1.33 percent and leading internet portal operator Naver gained 0.94 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,308.3 won against the U.S. dollar, up 10.3 won from the previous session.
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