Seoul shares open higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started stronger on Friday,
tracking overnight gains in U.S. markets, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 9.75 points, or
0.86 percent, to 1,138.14 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. stocks closed higher Thursday as retail sales data showed a slight
improvement in consumer spending. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 3.46
percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 3.97 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,469.85 to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up
26.65 won from Thursday's close.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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