Overview

• Kospi ended Monday at 2,698.97, up 0.05 percent after briefly reclaiming the 2,700 level on preelection momentum.
• Shares of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix climbed more than 1 percent to lead gains in semiconductor stocks.
• Steelmakers such as POSCO Holdings and Hyundai Steel, along with automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, slid on U.S. President Trump’s plan to double steel tariffs to 50 percent.
• Investors pointed to renewed U.S.-China trade tensions and preelection uncertainty as dampening market sentiment.
• The Korean won strengthened to around 1,373 per dollar as foreign and retail investors drove net purchases of shares.