2 weeks ago
Seoul shares trim gains on profit-taking amid Iran deal doubts
Imagine a big store where people buy and sell pieces of companies, called stocks.
On Tuesday morning in Seoul, the prices of these pieces went up at first.
Then some people decided to sell to keep the money they had made, which is called profit-taking.
Because of this, the prices did not stay as high as they were at the start.
People were also worried because the United States and Iran might not make a peace deal.
If there is no deal, oil prices could stay high, and that can make things more expensive.
Companies that make computer chips did really well, like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
Some car and defense companies went down in price.
Many people are borrowing money to buy stocks, and the amount borrowed has grown a lot.
The stock market is still higher than before, just not as much as it was in the morning.
Seoul shares trimmed earlier gains late Tuesday morning as investors locked in profits amid fading hopes for a US-Iran deal.
The KOSPI opened 2 percent higher but pared gains to trade 0.69 percent up at 7,026.26 as of 11:20 a.m.
Retail investors and institutions sold stocks while foreigners bought a net 1.07 trillion won.
Tech stocks led gains, with Samsung Electronics up 0.46 percent and SK hynix jumping 4.07 percent.
Margin debt reached 30.93 trillion won as of Thursday, up from 27.44 trillion won on Aug. 3.
- Who
- Investors trading on the Seoul stock market, including retail investors, institutions, and foreigners, along with U.S. President Donald Trump.
- What
- Seoul shares trimmed earlier gains on profit-taking amid fading hopes for a deal to end the US-Iran war.
- Where
- Seoul, South Korea.
- When
- Tuesday morning, with the KOSPI at 7,026.26 as of 11:20 a.m.; margin debt data as of Thursday.
- Why
- Profit-taking and fading hopes for a US-Iran deal, with elevated oil prices stoking inflation concerns.
Key facts
- KOSPI level
- 7,026.26 (up 0.69 percent)
- KOSPI opening gain
- 2 percent
- Foreign net buying
- 1.07 trillion won
- Retail net selling
- 804.7 billion won (US$570 million)
- Institutional net selling
- 219.9 billion won
- Korean won vs. U.S. dollar
- 1,411.45 won (up 4.15 won)
- Margin debt
- 30.93 trillion won (US$21.8 billion) as of Thursday
- Overnight U.S. markets
- Dow Jones -0.51 percent; Nasdaq -0.32 percent









