Seoul stocks trim losses late Thursday morning

SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks pared earlier losses late Thursday morning as the country continues to report its daily number of new coronavirus infections at below 30.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 5.97 points, or 0.32 percent, to reach 1,851.11 as of 11:20 a.m.

The country reported 22 more cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the nation's total infections to 10,613, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most large-cap shares traded mixed.

Market kingpin Samsung Electronics inched up 0.1 percent after opening lower. Major pharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics was up 0.37 percent, and major chem firm LG Chem jumped 4.44 percent.

In contrast, SK hynix, a global chipmaker, was down 0.85 percent. No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor shed 0.5 percent, and POSCO, the country's leading steelmaker, declined 3.28 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,227 won against the U.S. dollar, down 9.9 won from the previous session's close.

khj@yna.co.kr
(END)