Kospi hits highest level in six months

The final Kospi close is displayed on a screen in a dealing room at KB Kookmin bank in the financial district of Yeouido, western Seoul, on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Stocks closed at the highest point in six months Thursday thanks to foreign buying of major tech firms and automakers. The won fell against the dollar.

The Kospi rose 3.85 points, or 0.17 percent, to close at 2,267.01, extending a winning streak to a fourth session after touching this year's high of 2,281.33 points. The closing marks the highest level since 2,267.25 on Jan. 22.

Trading volume was high at about 703 million shares worth some 13.3 trillion won ($11.1 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 427 to 395.

Foreigners bought a net 224 billion won, extending their buying streak to a fifth consecutive session, while institutions sold a net 234 billion won. Retail investors purchased a net 7 billion won.

The hike was aided by a continued rise in top cap Samsung Electronics, which delivered strong second-quarter earnings.

Other market heavyweights, such as automakers, also continued to build up gains.

"Strong foreign buying, along with major auto and tech stocks, are expected to further push up the Kospi," KTB Investment & Securities analyst Park Seok-hyun said.

Large caps traded mixed.

Samsung Electronics closed flat at 59,000 won. The company's quarterly operating profit spiked 23.5 percent on-year in the April-June period.

Chipmaker SK hynix jumped 2.52 percent to 85,300 won.

Internet giant Naver added 0.68 percent to 294,000 won after reporting forecast-beating earnings for the second quarter, while Kakao added 0.15 percent to 332,000 won.

Automaker Hyundai Motor jumped 2 percent to 127,500 won, with its affiliate Kia Motors advancing 2.65 percent to 40,700 won.

Leading online game developer Ncsoft gained 1.6 percent to 825,000 won, with its rival Netmarble losing 3.83 percent to 125,500 won.

Among decliners, pharmaceutical heavyweight Samsung Biologics shed 0.67 percent to 736,000 won, and Celltrion lost 0.5 percent to 300,000 won.

The local currency closed at 1,194.40 won against the dollar, down 1.3 won from the previous session's close.

The secondary Kosdaq added 5.60 points, or 0.69 percent, to close at 814.19.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year bonds lost 1.2 basis points to 0.799 percent, while the return on the benchmark ten-year government bond lost 0.8 basis points to reach 0.57 percent.

BY CHEA SARAH, YONHAP [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]