S.Korean stocks at near 2-yr high on U.S. data, stimulus breakthrough

* KOSPI marks highest closing price since Oct. 2, 2018

* Foreigners were net sellers

* KRW edges down against USD

* S.Korea benchmark bond yield rises

* For the midday report, please click

SEOUL, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares ended at a near two-year high on Tuesday, buoyed by strong U.S. manufacturing data and as efforts to bring out a coronavirus relief bill resumed. The Korean won inched down, while the benchmark bond yield rose.

** The benchmark KOSPI closed up 28.93 points, or 1.29%, at 2,279.97 – its highest close since Oct. 2, 2018. That also marked the biggest daily gain in a week.

** U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated to its highest level in nearly 1-1/2 years in July as orders increased, helping investors look past broader worries about the coronavirus and global economy.

** The top Democrats in the U.S. Congress and White House negotiators said on Monday they had made progress in talks on a new coronavirus relief bill.

** Shares of Samsung Electronics rose as much as 2.3% and led gains on the KOSPI, tracking overnight strength in the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index.

** Foreigners were net sellers of 58.2 billion won ($48.76 million) worth of shares on the main board.

** The won ended trading at 1,194.1 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.06% lower than its previous close at 1,193.4.

** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,193.5 per dollar, down 0.1% from the previous session, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,193.5.

** MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 1.50%.

** The trading volume during the session in the KOSPI index was 712.56 million shares. Of the total traded issues of 900, the number of advancing shares was 672.

** In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds fell 0.02 points to 112.27.

** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by 0.5 basis points to 0.805% in late afternoon trade, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose by 0.2 basis points to 1.309%.

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