Seoul shares open higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday,
taking a cue from overnight gains in U.S. markets, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 17.53 points, or
1.12 percent, to 1,582.51 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
U.S. markets closed higher on Monday as reports on manufacturing, construction
and banking sent investors more signals that the economy is gathering strength.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.25 percent to the highest point since
Nov. 4. The tech-laden Nasdaq composite index added 1.52 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,217.35 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15
a.m., up 5.05 won from Monday's close.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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