* KOSPI falls; Ends November up 14.3%, highest monthly gain
in 19
yrs
* Foreigners sell net 2.4 trln won, the largest on record
* Korean won weakens against U.S. dollar
* South Korea benchmark bond yield rises
* For the midday report, please click
SEOUL, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
** South Korean shares posted their sharpest monthly gain in
19 years on coronavirus vaccine-led recovery hopes, even as they
slumped on Monday on profit-taking and worries about domestic
coronavirus infections. The won slid, while the benchmark bond
yield rose.
** The benchmark KOSPI ended down 42.11 points, or
1.60%, at 2,591.34, after rising 0.58% in early trade. For the
month, the index surged 14.3%, the sharpest monthly gain since
November 2001.
** South Korea reported 438 new coronavirus cases on Monday,
a day after authorities announced a ban on year-end parties and
some music lessons as infections surged at their fastest pace
since the early days of the pandemic.
** Meanwhile, neighbouring China's November factory activity
expanded at its fastest pace since September 2017, keeping its
recovery from the coronavirus crisis solidly on track.
** Heavyweights Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix
and LG Chem led declines, tumbling 2.2%,
1.3% and 1.2%, respectively.
** Foreigners sold net 2.4 trillion won ($2.17 billion)
worth of KOSPI shares, the largest on record, after purchasing a
total net 6.3 trillion won worth of shares in November, the
largest monthly amount since September 2013.
** "MSCI weightage changes are due to take effect,
triggering a huge foreign selloff today," said Daishin
Securities' analyst Lee Kyoung-min.
** "Growing pressure on KOSPI valuation and foreign
investors' profit-taking ahead of key economic data release led
the decline," Lee added.
** The won ended at 1,106.5 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform, 0.3% lower than its previous
close. It rose for a sixth straight month of gains, gaining
2.6%, the the longest winning streak since December 2013.
** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at
1,106.6, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month
contract was quoted at 1,106.5.
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by
0.4 basis points to 0.984%.
($1 = 1,105.6900 won)
(Reporting by Joori Roh;
Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)