The South Korea stock market has closed higher now in back-to-back sessions, collecting more than 15 points or 0.85 percent along the way. The KOSPI settled just above the 1,870-point plateau, and now analysts are suggesting continued support at the opening of trade on Friday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, albeit with a limited upside ahead of this weekend's critical vote in Greece and in spite of more depressing news from Spain. But the bad news has also prompted optimism as global central banks are reportedly preparing for further financial stimulus. The European markets were mixed on Thursday and the U.S. bourses were firmly higher - and the Asian markets are expected to split the difference.
The KOSPI finished modestly higher on Thursday, bucking the regional trend of decline on support from the financial shares and steel producers.
For the day, the index collected 12.16 points or 0.65 percent to finish at the daily high of 1,871.48 after trading as low as 1,855.06. Volume was 4.14 million shares worth 4.77 trillion won. There were 432 gainers and 379 decliners.
Among the gainers, POSCO climbed 2.31 percent, while LG Chem jumped 2.30 percent, Hyundai Heavy Industries added 1.30 percent, SK Innovation spiked 2.48 percent, Shinhan Financial Group collected 2.29 percent and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance gathered 1.74 percent.
Moving lower, Samsung Electronics shed 0.79 percent, while Hyundai Motor eased 0.21 percent and Hyundai Mobis fell 0.92 percent.
The lead from Wall Street is firmly positive as stocks saw considerable volatility in the final hour of trading on Thursday, after moving higher in the morning. The markets managed to end the day on the upside amid optimism about the likelihood of further stimulus.
The late volatility followed a report from Reuters indicating that central banks from major economies are prepared to take necessary steps to stabilize the financial markets after the Greek elections on Sunday.
Traders also reacted to remarks by U.K. Chancellor George Osborne, who said the U.K. Treasury and the Bank of England will take "coordinated action" to protect the economy from the eurozone crisis.
Earlier in the day, the markets benefited when the Labor Department reported an unexpected increase in initial jobless claims in the week ended June 9. Jobless claims rose to 386,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 380,000, while economists had expected jobless claims to edge down to 375,000 from the 377,000 originally reported for the previous week.
While the report points to continued sluggishness in the labor market, the data led to optimism regarding the likelihood of further stimulus from the Federal Reserve.
Also, the Labor Department said that consumer prices fell by 0.3 percent in May after coming in unchanged in April. The slightly steeper than expected drop was largely due to a 4.3 percent decrease in energy prices. Core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy prices, rose 0.2 percent in May, matching the increases seen in the two previous months and in line with estimates.
Traders also digested news that Moody's cut its rating on Spanish government debt to Baa3 from A3, driving Spanish bond yields to euro-era record highs.
The major averages all ended the day in positive territory, offsetting the losses posted in the previous session. The Dow jumped 155.53 points or 1.2 percent to finish at 12,651.91, while the NASDAQ rose 17.72 points or 0.6 percent to end at 2,836.33 and the S&P 500 climbed 14.22 points or 1.1 percent to 1,329.10.
by RTT Staff Writer
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