South Korean Shares Close Higher for Second Day on Overnight Wall Street Gains
South Korean shares closed higher on Wednesday for a second straight day on overnight Wall Street gains, ahead of second-quarter earnings releases of US big tech companies.U.S. stocks rebounded on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.74%, the S&P 500 adding 0.89% and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 1.3%, as all three indexes snapped three-day losing streaks.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, increased by 49.75 points, or 0.7%, to end at 6,797.7. The Kosdaq fell by 2.25 points, or 0.3%, to close at 751.09.In economic news, South Korea's producer price index (PPI) increased 8.6% year over year in June, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea released on Wednesday. The reading remained unchanged from the previous month but exceeded Trading Economics' forecast of 8.2%.PPI inflation across agricultural, forestry and marine products, and services was unchanged in June from May, while that of manufacturing products slowed. Out of all the primary sectors, only utilities posted an acceleration in producer price growth.On a month-over-month basis, South Korea's PPI was flat after rising for nine straight months.In corporate news, Hyundai Motor Group, the parent of Hyundai Motor (KRX:005380) and Kia (KRX:000270), introduced an integrated vehicle-to-everything (V2X) service called AllDayEnergy around the world, which would allow electric vehicles to double as mobile energy sources.The automotive group will work with Hana Financial Group (KRX:086790) subsidiary Hana Bank to introduce "AllDayEnergy My Heart Savings Account," Hyundai Motor Group said in a Tuesday release.V2X allows two-way power flow between electric vehicle batteries and the grid, enabling users to lower charging costs and generate revenue. The service stores electricity during off-peak hours and supplies it when the requirement is higher, it said.Shares of Hyundai Motor jumped nearly 5% while those of Kia added about 2% at market close.In other news, Unionized workers at Kakao Corporation (KRX:035720) subsidiary Kakao Bank voted to carry out a full-scale strike on July 31 after failed talks with management over salary hikes and other benefits, Yonhap News reported Wednesday.The bank's union and management are at odds over wages and benefits after no agreement was reached during negotiations, despite the bank posting record first-quarter operating income and revenue, the report said.Kakao Corp. has also faced continued wage-related disputes, with union members carrying out strikes last month, according to the report.The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from.Shares of Kakao Corp. added nearly 1% at market close.
