South Korean shares trade marginally lower as chipmakers weigh
KOSPI falls, foreigners net sellers
Korean won strengthens against dollar
South Korea benchmark bond yield falls
SEOUL, Aug 21 (Reuters) -Round-up of South Korean financial markets:
** South Korean shares traded marginally lower on Wednesday, as chip heavyweights tracked overnight weakness in U.S. peers, with investors awaiting major central bank events this week.
** The benchmark KOSPI .KS11 was down 4.95 points, or 0.18%, at 2,691.68, as of 0049 GMT.
** Chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930.KS fell 1.14% and peer SK Hynix 000660.KS lost 3.46%, after the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index .SOX fell more than 1% on Tuesday.
** Movements in chip stocks have recently been in high correlation with U.S. tech stocks, leading the broader market.
** The Bank of Korea is expected to keep its key interest rate at 3.50% on Thursday and cut it next quarter by 25 basis points after the U.S. Federal Reserve likely begins easing in September.
** Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to give a speech at the annual Jackson Hole event later in the week.
** South Korea's exports for the first 20 days of August rose 18.5% from a year earlier, data showed. Exports are set to extend annual gains to an 11th consecutive month.
** South Korea will extend tax breaks on oil products and expand liquidity support for e-commerce vendors hit by recent payment troubles, the finance minister said.
** Among other index heavyweights, battery makers and biopharmaceutical manufacturers rose, but automakers fell.
** Of the total 930 traded issues, 385 shares advanced, while 470 declined.
** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 35.0 billion won ($26.34 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,328.6 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform KRW=KFTC, 0.29% higher than its previous close at 1,332.5.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 0.6 basis point to 2.919%, while the benchmark 10-year yield fell by 3.0 basis points to 2.967%.
($1 = 1,328.6500 won)
Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Rashmi Aich
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