Seoul shares turn lower late Fri. morning

SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks turned lower late Friday morning on tech and battery losses.

Starting 0.33 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had fallen 3.11 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,576.37 as of 11:20 a.m.

On Wall Street, major stock indices finished higher on a trade agreement between the United States and Britain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.62 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.07 percent.

In Seoul, however, semiconductor and battery shares were lead decliners.

Chip giant SK hynix lost 1.42 percent, and Hanmi Semiconductor, a leading chipmaking equipment provider, shed 1.66 percent.

Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution sank 3.05 percent, and POSCO Future M tumbled 4.58 percent.

Bank shares were also weak as KB Financial Group retreated 2.65 percent, and Hana Financial Group dropped 1.39 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,412.2 won against the U.S. dollar at 11:20 a.m., down 15.6 won from the previous session.

brk@yna.co.kr
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