The projectiles were a “new type of short-range missile” and posed a “military threat” which risked undermining the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s Ministry of Defense said.
The market losses in Seoul came despite a stronger-than-expected rebound in South Korea’s economy in the second quarter. GDP rose by 1.1% following a surprise contraction in the first three months of the year, according to data published Thursday.
“We expect GDP growth to remain moderate over the rest of the year amid heightened trade uncertainties, but recent monetary easing by the Bank of Korea will provide some support,” Oxford Economics said in a note.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will travel to Shanghai to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and other officials for trade talks starting on July 30, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.
- Samsung (SSNLF) outperformed other Korean stocks, gaining 1.7%. The smartphone maker announced it would launch the delayed Galaxy Fold in some markets in September after making improvements to protect the screen.
- Shares in Nissan (NSANF) closed down 2.1% in Tokyo. Shortly after the market close, the carmaker announced it would cut 12,500 jobs worldwide and slash production capacity by 10% after its operating profit plunged 98.5% for the fiscal first quarter.
- Tencent (TCEHY) rose 1.8% in Hong Kong after the Chinese social media giant said it is working with Nintendo (NTDOF) about launching its Switch console in China soon.
- Japan’s Nikkei ended 0.2% higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.3% in afternoon trading. They were helped by a record close for the S&P500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP), and expectations that the European Central Bank will signal further support for the economy at its meeting later Thursday.
Source : Nbcnewyork
