The South Korean won rose 0.6 percent against the dollar on Friday as buying by local exporters outweighed increased risk aversion that could have dampened the local currency. The won rose as much as 0.6 percent to a session high of 934.8 before ending the local session at 935.9/6.2, compared with the previous closing bid of 940.0.
It was the last domestic session of the year, with the won marking a 0.7 percent loss so far this year. The currency is most likely to have its worst year in six years since losing 3.8 percent against the dollar in 2001, because it changes little in overnight trade abroad.
"Exporters led the market throughout the day. Some export companies are believed to have sold more dollars than usual because the market will be closed on Monday," said a domestic bank dealer. The local currency market will resume trading on January 2 at 0100 GMT, an hour later than usual.
The assassination of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday heightened investors' preference for safer assets, hurting riskier assets such as the won. But along with dollar sales by local exporters, news that STX Shipbuilding Co has won a $200 million foreign ship order helped support the local currency. Seoul stock market's benchmark KOSPI fell 0.6 percent, with foreign investors selling a net 43 billion won worth of shares as of 0600 GMT.
Currency traders ignored central bank data earlier in the day that showed South Korea's current account surplus fell to a seasonally adjusted $75.6 million from a revised $853.7 million surplus in October.bonds flat. South Korean government bond prices ended unchanged on Friday, while investors shrugged off monthly economic data. The yield on the benchmark five-year treasury bond ended steady at 5.78 percent, while the three-year treasury bond yield also was unchanged at 5.74 percent.
"November factory output figures were mainly within market expectations and failed to give momentum to bonds," said a dealer at Kyobo Investment and Securities. "However, rising certificates of deposit (CD) rates left market sentiment weaker, which is expected to continue at the start of next year." CD rates rose for the fourth consecutive session, rising one basis point to 5.82 percent, its highest since posting 5.82 percent on May 26, 2001.