Seoul shares open higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Wednesday
as investor sentiment was lifted by overnight gains in U.S. markets, analysts
said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 17.02 points, or
1.07 percent, to 1,612.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks closed higher Tuesday on better-than-expected earnings and
encouraging data in the housing market. The Dow Jones industrial average rose
1.09 percent and the tech-laden Nasdaq composite added 0.87 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,154.15 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15
a.m., up 5.75 won from Tuesday's close.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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