Seoul shares open higher on Wall Street gains

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks started higher Thursday as foreign
investors picked up shares following overnight rises on Wall Street, analysts
said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) inched up 1.49 points, or
0.13 percent, to 1,147.36 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
On Wednesday, U.S. stocks advanced as energy and material stocks gained ground
due to a recent spike in commodity prices. The Dow Jones industrial average rose
0.81 percent and the tech-dominated Nasdaq composite index added 1.17 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,362.2 to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up
31.6 won from Wednesday's close.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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