Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares rose on Friday but were set to log a second weekly loss after heavy losses in global technology companies earlier in the week pulled Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix lower amid concerns that the AI-driven rally might have peaked.
** The won weakened, while the benchmark bond yield fell.
** The benchmark KOSPI KRX:KOSPI was up 327.43 points, or 4.28%, at 7,975.52 as of 04:34 GMT. For the week, the index is down 4.95%.
** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics KRX:005930 rose 8.57% after media reports that Anthropic PBC is in talks with Samsung Electronics to be a manufacturing partner for a custom AI chip.
** SK Hynix KRX:000660 gained 7.18%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution KRX:373220 climbed 0.14%.
** Hyundai Motor KRX:005380 and sister automaker Kia Corp KRX:000270 were up 0.41% and up 3.17%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings KRX:005490 shed 0.47%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics KRX:207940 rose 0.28%.
** Of the 912 issues traded, 406 shares advanced, while 471 declined.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 1,501.9 billion won.
** The won was quoted at 1,544.4 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform FX_IDC:USDKRW, 0.28% lower than its previous close at 1,540.0.
** In offshore trading, the won FX_IDC:USDKRW was quoted at 1,544.5 per dollar, down 0.3% on the day, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract (KRW1MNDFOR=) was quoted at 1,543.2.
** The KOSPI has risen 89.25% so far this year.
** The won has weakened 6.8% against the dollar so far this year.
** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds (KTBc1) gained 0.08 point to 103.11.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield (KR3YT=RR) fell by 1.5 basis points to 3.732%, while the benchmark 10-year yield TVC:KR10 fell by 0.7 basis points to 4.173%.