* KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers<\/p>\n
* Korean won weakens against U.S. dollar<\/p>\n
* South Korea benchmark bond yield falls<\/p>\n
* For the midday report, please click<\/p>\n
SEOUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Round-up of South Korean financial markets:<\/p>\n
** South Korean shares fell on Wednesday by the most in nearly a month, as valuation concerns and a stamp duty hike in Hong Kong weighed on investor sentiment. Both the won and the benchmark bond yield fell.<\/p>\n
** The KOSPI closed down 75.11 points, or 2.45%, at 2,994.98, extending losses to a third session.<\/p>\n
** Recent spikes in U.S. Treasury yields have put lofty equity valuations under pressure even as bond markets stabilised.<\/p>\n
** U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday the monetary policy would remain accommodative as the economy still needed support, pulling down the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield.<\/p>\n
** Shares of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange operator tumbled 11%, the biggest one-day fall since 2008, after the city\u2019s government said it would increase the stamp duty on stock trading.<\/p>\n
** Most heavyweights in South Korea slid, with chip giant SK Hynix and internet giant Naver down 1.81% and 4.23%, respectively.<\/p>\n
** SK Biopharmaceuticals dropped as much as 13.9% to a record low after parent SK Holdings sold a 1.1 trillion won ($989.88 million) stake in the company in a block deal.<\/p>\n
** The country\u2019s central bank meets on Thursday where it is widely expected to keep interest rates at record low.<\/p>\n
** The trading volume during the session in the KOSPI index was 1,526.87 million shares. Of the total traded issues of 912, the number of advancing shares was only 57.<\/p>\n
** Foreigners were net sellers of 426.8 billion won worth of shares on the main board.<\/p>\n
** The won ended at 1,112.2 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.14% lower than its previous close.<\/p>\n
** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,112.0, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,111.8.<\/p>\n
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 1.7 basis points to 1.006%.<\/p>\n