SEOUL: Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
South Korean shares rose on Wednesday to notch a record close, as chipmaker Samsung Electronics jumped ahead of its first-quarter results on Thursday.
The benchmark KOSPI closed up 49.88 points, or 0.75%, at 6,690.90, its highest closing level on record.
Samsung Electronics rose 1.80% to a record close, Earlier this month, the chipmaker had projected that its quarterly earnings would exceed its entire profit for last year.
Peer SK Hynix fell 0.54%.
South Korean exports likely rose in April for an 11th straight month, with a surge in chip demand driven by artificial intelligence investment more than offsetting a hit from the Middle East conflict, a Reuters poll showed.
"Samsung Electronics extended gains after a report by the Financial Times forecasting an unprecedented 'super-cycle' in memory chips," said Seo Sang-young, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities.
Among other index heavyweights, battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 0.21%, while Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were up 0.18% and 0.84%, respectively.
Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 0.54%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics fell 2.06%.
Of the total 888 traded issues, 479 shares advanced, while 364 declined.
Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 606.9 billion won ($410.82 million).
The won was quoted at 1,479.0 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.39% lower than its previous close at 1,473.2.
The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 0.6 basis point to 3.532%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell by 1.3 basis points to 3.846%. - Reuters
