Seoul shares open 2 pct lower on U.S. falls

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started 1.97 percent lower
Wednesday, taking a cue from overnight losses in U.S. markets, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) declined 22.26 points to
1,106.47 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday as worse-than-expected corporate earnings raised
fears about a global recession. The Dow Jones industrial average declined 1.99
percent and the tech-dominated Nasdaq composite index shed 2.22 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,354.2 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m.,
down 24.3 won from Tuesday's close.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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