Market Overview

Seoul shares ended lower on Tuesday, snapping a five-day winning streak, according to The Economic Times. The benchmark KOSPI fell 108.11 points, or 1.55%, to close at 6,869.83, after opening higher. The decline was driven by investors taking profits on large-cap stocks amid fading hopes for a deal to end the war between Iran and the United States.

Trade volume was moderate, with 679.50 million shares worth 17.16 trillion won ($12.3 billion) changing hands. Institutional investors were net sellers, offloading a net 384.36 billion won, while foreign and retail investors bought a net 91.4 billion won and 731.29 billion won, respectively.

Corporate Movers

Samsung Electronics fell 6.31% after announcing a shareholder return plan of up to 110 trillion won. The announcement came as the company last week said shareholder returns this year could reach that amount, but analysts at Reuters reportedly saw the potential payout as lower than expected.

Other decliners included Hyundai Motor (-0.84%), Kia Corp (-0.31%), and Samsung BioLogics (-0.26%). In contrast, SK Hynix rose 1.91%, LG Energy Solution advanced 3.93%, and Samsung SDI surged 8.58% after Samsung Display announced a share sale plan, according to The Economic Times.

Currencies and Bonds

The Korean won strengthened 0.35% to 1,381.1 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, compared with its previous close. Bond prices gained as well: September futures on three-year Treasury bonds rose 0.05 point to 103.18. The most liquid three-year Korean Treasury bond yield eased 0.2 basis point to 3.851%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell 6.4 basis points to 4.350%.

Oil Prices

Oil prices remained elevated due to Middle East tensions, particularly the Iran-Israel conflict, which has kept investors cautious about the global supply outlook.