Seoul stocks open up on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started higher Friday as investor
sentiment was boosted by overnight gains in U.S. markets, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 21.28 points, or
1.59 percent, to 1,358.00 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Most large-cap shares opened in positive territory with banks and tech shares
driving the upswing.
U.S. stocks rose to near two-month highs Thursday on signs the economy is
stabilizing. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.19 percent and the
tech-dominated Nasdaq composite index soared 2.68 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,326.15 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15
a.m., up 5.85 won from Thursday's close.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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