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Kospi opens lower ahead of U.S. tariff rollout

Published: 02 Apr. 2025, 10:23

A woman passes by a screen in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul on April 2. [YONHAP]

Seoul shares opened lower Wednesday as investors remain watchful ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff rollout.

The Kospi fell 6.06 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,515.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.03 percent to 41,989.96 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite up 0.87 percent to 17,449.89.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to launch so-called reciprocal tariffs on April 2, which will affect all U.S. trading partners.

In Seoul, large-cap stocks were mixed.

Samsung Electronics fell 0.51 percent, and Hyundai Motor declined 1.11 percent.

Posco Holdings dropped 1.43 percent, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shed 0.52 percent.

Among gainers, chip giant SK hynix rose 0.72 percent, and leading cosmetics firm Amorepacific was up 1.04 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,472.65 won against the U.S. dollar at 9:15 a.m., up 0.75 won from the previous session.

Yonhap