*
KOSPI rises 1%, foreigners net buyers
*
Korean won weakens against dollar
*
South Korea benchmark bond yield rises
*
For the midday report, please click SEOUL, March 31 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares rose 1% on Friday, buoyed by Wall Street's overnight gains and China's better-than-expected manufacturing data, ending the quarter with its best performance in over two years.
** The Korean won weakened, while the benchmark bond yield
rose.
** The benchmark KOSPI ended up 23.70 points, or
0.97%, at 2,476.86, hitting the highest level since Feb. 9.
** The KOSPI ended the week 2.56% higher, the month 2.65% higher, and the quarter 10.75% higher. It was the best quarterly performance since the last quarter of 2020.
** China's manufacturing activity expanded at a slower pace
in March, official data showed on Friday, which still beat
expectations. The services sector expanded at the fastest pace
in nearly 12 years.
** "The data added to hopes for an economic recovery in
China and provided support to the local stock market as well,"
said analyst Lee Kyoung-min at Daishin Securities.
** Technology giant Samsung Electronics rose
1.27%, but peer SK Hynix lost 0.23% and battery
maker LG Energy Solution fell 0.68%.
** Hyundai Motor gained 1.82% and sister
automaker Kia Corp jumped 2.02%, while steelmaker
POSCO Holdings rallied 8.39% on hopes for benefits
from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
** Korea Electric Power Corp dropped 4.66% after
the government postponed its decision on new electricity prices
for the second quarter.
** Of the total 937 issues traded, 482 shares rose.
** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 513.6 billion
won ($394.83 million), scooped up 6.86 trillion won worth of
local stocks in the first quarter - the biggest in 9-1/2 years.
** The won ended onshore trade at 1,301.9 per
dollar, 0.22% lower than its previous close at 1,299.0.
** The currency ended the week down 0.58%, but rose 1.59%
for the month. For the quarter, it lost 2.87%.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield
rose by 2.4 basis points to 3.264%, while the benchmark 10-year
yield rose by 2.7 basis points to 3.330%.
($1 = 1,300.8000 won)
(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
