*
KOSPI rises, foreigners net sellers
*
Korean won strengthens against dollar
*
South Korea benchmark bond yield little changed
SEOUL, March 28 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares rose on Tuesday after two sessions of
declines, as worries over global banking troubles eased with the
acquisition of troubled Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The Korean
won strengthened, while the benchmark bond yield traded flat.
** The benchmark KOSPI rose 16.88 points, or 0.70%,
to 2,426.10 as of 0109 GMT, hitting the highest since March 9.
** U.S. regulators said on Monday they would backstop a deal
by regional lender First Citizens BancShares to acquire SVB.
** "Cyclical shares strengthened as the smooth acquisition
process eased worries of banking troubles weighing on the real
economy," said Shinhan Securities' analyst Choi Yoo-june.
** Most index heavyweights rose, including chipmakers,
automakers, and online service providers, but battery
manufacturers fell.
** The Korea Exchange Bank Equity Index jumped
more than 2%, while the Finance-major Index and the
Securities-minor Index were up 1.4% and 0.7%,
respectively.
** Of the total 932 issues traded, 661 shares advanced.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 63.7 billion
won ($49.23 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,297.3 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform , 0.32% higher than its previous close at 1,301.5.
** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year
treasury bonds fell 0.03 point to 105.06.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield
rose by 1.6 basis points to 3.234%, while the benchmark 10-year
yield fell by 0.3 basis point to 3.254%.
($1 = 1,294.0200 won)
(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; editing by Uttaresh Venkateshwaran)
