South Korean financial markets in brief: ** South Korean stocks edged lower on Monday as the won continued to weaken towards the key resistance level of 1,400 per dollar, driven by a stronger greenback . Benchmark bond yields fell.
** The benchmark KOSPI lost 17.48 points, or 0.63%, to 2,766.78 at 0134 GMT.
** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 0.13% and peer SK Hynix lost 4.06%, while battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 0. 45%.
** In neighboring Japan, chief currency diplomat Masato Kanda said on Monday that authorities would take appropriate action if there were excessive movements in the foreign exchange market.
** Hyundai Motor lost 0.36% and Kia Corp lost 0.63%, while search engine Naver and instant messaging Kakao were up 0.89% and down 1.04%, respectively .
** Of the 932 stocks traded, 270 rose and 605 fell.
** Foreigners were net sellers of stocks worth 231.3 billion won on the main market on Monday.
** The won was quoted at 1,390.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.18 percent lower than its previous close at 1,388.3.
** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,390.8 per dollar, down 0.3 percent on the day, while in non-deliverable futures trading, its one-month contract was quoted at 1 388.6.
**KOSPI is up 4.20% year-to-date and has gained 1.4% over the past 30 sessions.
** The won has lost 7.4% against the dollar since the start of the year.
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year Treasury notes fell 0.03 points to 105.24.
** The yield on Korea’s most liquid three-year Treasury bonds was flat at 3.177 percent, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell 0.9 basis points to 3.246 percent. (Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Editing by Eileen Soreng)
