The South Korean stock market is trading flat on Tuesday with investors treading cautiously amid a lack of triggers. While Wall Street was closed overnight for Labor Day holiday, markets across the Asian region are mostly hovering around their previous closing levels today, rendering the mood cautious in the South Korean market.
Technology, banking and automobile stocks are exhibiting weakness, while shipping and oil stocks are finding support. The benchmark KOSPI index, which edged up to 1,796.5 in early trades but declined to 1,789 subsequently, is currently at 1,792, down slightly from its previous close.
Among bank stocks, Korea Exchange Bank, Woori Finance and KB Financial are trading modestly lower, while Shinhan Financial is in positive territory with a gain of about 1.5%.
In the technology space, Hynix Semiconductor is down 1.6%, LG Display LCD is trading lower by 1% and LG Electronics is down 0.3%, while Samsung Electronics is up 0.8% over its previous closing price.
Automobile stocks Ssangyong Motor and Hyundai Motor are down 0.3% and 0.6% respectively. Kia Motor is up with a modest gain of 0.8%.
Steel stocks Hyundai Steel and POSCO are up 4.2% and 4.7% respectively. Among oil stocks, SK Holdings is up 0.7% and S-Oil is gaining about 1.5%. KEPCO is down 1%.
Among shipping stocks, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding are up 0.8% and 1% respectively. Samsung Heavy Industries is trading flat, while STX Pan Ocean is down 0.8%.
Telecommunications stocks are trading weak. Among airliners, Korean Air is down 1%, while Asiana Airlines is gaining about 0.7%.
Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and Singapore are trading marginally down. Indonesia, New Zealand and Taiwan are up with modest gains, while Australia is up marginally. Markets across the region closed higher on Monday as concerns about the global economic recovery eased considerably on the back of a better-than-expected jobs report in the U.S. for August.
Major European markets ended higher on Monday amid optimism about a global recovery. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index gained 0.2%, while the German DAX index and the French CAC 40 index both advanced by about 0.33%. The U.S. market was closed on Monday on account of Labor Day holiday.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.