SEOUL: South Korean stocks started almost flat on Monday as investors remained wary over a volatile global bond market and a lack of fresh momentum, analysts said.
After opening slightly higher, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 1.76 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,104.74 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Exporters slipped across the board, with top automaker Hyundai Motor and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors falling 0.92 percent and 1.03 percent each.
Shares of Samsung Group subsidiaries, meanwhile, traded higher. Samsung Electronics inched up 0.08 percent and Samsung Life Insurance gained 1.34 percent.
The Korean won was trading at 1,084.9 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.8 won from Friday’s close.
