Seoul shares sag

Seoul shares closed 0.6 percent lower on Monday, led by memory chip makers after target price cuts by a major investment bank, but POSCO rose on the news of its plans to buy a 10 percent stake in an Australian coal miner. Shares in POSCO climbed after the world's No 4 steelmaker said on Monday that it had agreed to buy a 10 percent stake in Macarthur Coal from the Australian group's founder and major shareholder Ken Talbot for around A$420 million ($404.2 million).
POSCO gained 2.06 percent to 544,000 won. "Securing a stake in Macarthur Coal is positive in that it may help boost POSCO's self-reliance in securing costly raw materials," said Kim Gyung-jung, an analyst at Samsung Securities.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed down 0.57 percent to 1,674.92 points, recording a 9.6 percent fall on the month. "There is very little appetite for buying, and foreign investors are continuing to cut their Seoul shareholdings as external macroeconomic factors worsen," said Choi Seong-lak, a market analyst at SK Securities.
Foreign investors sold for a 16th consecutive session on Monday, offloading about 4.7 trillion won ($4.50 billion) since June 5. Memory chip makers such as Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor fell after Lehman Brothers cut target prices for the world's No 1 and No 2 memory chip makers, respectively, on Monday, citing an industry slowdown on worsening macroeconomic conditions.
Samsung Elec fell 2.8 percent to 625,000 won and Hynix Semiconductor lost 3.66 percent to 25,000 won. Energy price-sensitive shares such as Korean Air Line and Asiana Airlines were hit after US crude hit a record near $143 a barrel on Friday, fuelling anxiety about companies' costs and consumer sentiment.
Korean Air shed 3.34 percent to 49,200 won and Asiana Airlines lost 2.83 percent to 5,500 won. Meanwhile shares related to Dongwon Group declined after the group confirmed on Monday that it had agreed to pay $363 million for Del Monte Foods Co's seafood brand StarKist.
Dongwon Industries lost 4.26 percent to 12,350 won and Dongwon F&B fell 1.22 percent to 40,500 won. Shares in SK Energy climbed 1.75 percent to 116,500 won on expectations that its second quarter results would come out solid on continued strength in refining margins, and after the firm said on Monday it had secured a 20 percent stake in a 6,600-square kilometre oil field in Vietnam.
Shares in Hankook Tire surged after the tyre company announced on Monday that it planned to buy back 1.5 million shares worth 21.5 billion won ($20.61 million). The buyback news came after French tyre maker Michelin raised its stake in Hankook to nearly 10 percent through stock market purchases on Friday.
Hankook Tire ended up 1.39 percent to 14,550 won. "I do not think Michelin's interested in taking over Hankook Tire. It's just been Michelin's strategy - holding about 10 percent stake in global tyre makers for strategy purposes," said Han Kum-hee, an analyst at Samsung Securities.
Foreign investors sold a net 150 billion won worth of shares listed on the main board, and local institutions bought a net 383 billion won. Local retail investors sold a net 283 billion won. Decliners outnumbered advancers by 528 to 267, with 87 titles ending unchanged.
Trade volume was thin at 258 million shares worth 3.8 trillion won, compared with 281 million shares worth 4 trillion won on Friday. The KOSPI 200 September futures index fell 1.55 points to 214.95 and the KOSPI 200 spot index lost 1.07 points to 213.52. The junior Kosdaq market slid 0.75 percent to 590.19.