*
KOSPI flat, foreigners net sellers
*
Korean won weakens against dollar
*
South Korea benchmark bond yield rises
SEOUL, March 30 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares traded flat on Thursday, with
investors seeing few clues to make bets after the benchmark
index reached levels prior to the global banking turmoil first
triggered by U.S. Silicon Valley Bank.
** The Korean won weakened, while the benchmark bond yield
rose.
** The benchmark KOSPI was up 2.03 points, or 0.08%,
at 2,445.95 as of 0123 GMT, little changed from the three-week
high hit in the previous session.
** "It is a lukewarm session," said analyst Huh Jae-hwan at Eugene Investment and Securities. "There is a need for new momentum and investors are likely to make moves after checking how companies report their earnings next month."
** Technology giant Samsung Electronics rose
0.80% and peer SK Hynix gained 1.50%, tracking the
Philadelphia Semiconductor Index's 3.3% jump overnight.
** SK Innovation jumped 8.45% on a tender offer
plan to acquire 10% of its own shares, which will be paid with
its battery unit shares after listing.
** Of the total 930 issues traded, 431 shares rose.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 42.0 billion
won ($32.19 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,305.4 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform , 0.21% lower than its previous close at 1,302.7.
** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year
treasury bonds fell 0.08 point to 104.99.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield
rose by 0.2 basis point to 3.257%, while the benchmark 10-year
yield rose by 2.0 basis points to 3.307%.
($1 = 1,304.7800 won)
(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; editing by Uttaresh Venkateshwaran)
