South Korea's Shares Fall, Led by Posco, Kookmin, Samsung; Hynix Advances

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks fell, led by
Posco, and Kookmin Bank, on concern losses in the U.S. mortgage
market may slow the world's biggest economy.

Samsung Electronics Co. also declined after a power outage
at some production lines of the world's second-largest chipmaker.


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MBK Offers to Buy C&M for $3.2 Billion in Korea's Biggest LBO, Bankers Say

(Bloomberg) -- MBK Partners Ltd., the South Korean
private equity group founded by former Carlyle Group executives,
offered 3 trillion won ($3.2 billion) for cable-TV operator C&M,
said two bankers who were asked to provide financing.

The Seoul-based buyout company wants to borrow as much as 2
trillion won to pay for closely held C&M, South Korea's second-
biggest cable-TV operator, said the bankers, who declined to be
identified because the bid hasn't been disclosed. The purchase
would include New York-based Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s 30.5
percent stake, they said.


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Asian Currencies Complete Weekly Decline, Follow Drop in Regional Stocks

(Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies completed a weekly
decline, led by a 0.9 percent drop in the Indonesian rupiah, as
overseas investors reduced holdings in the region's stocks.

Global funds were net sellers of shares in South Korea,
Taiwan and Thailand this week as benchmark stock indexes dropped.
Indonesia's central bank said Aug. 1 it's not worried by the
rupiah's decline and the International Monetary Fund said the
next day the volatility in financial markets poses a risk to
economic growth.


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South Korea Stocks Rebound from Two-Day Rout; Samsung Electronics Advances

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks rose, snapping a
two-day plunge that had wiped out $68 billion in market value.
Samsung Electronics Co. gained after the country's industrial
production increased almost twice as much as expected.

Higher output of chips, autos and mobile phones, which
account for about a third of the nation's exports, accounted for
the gain in production, according to a government report. Concern
that a deepening U.S. housing-market slump would hurt the world's
biggest economy had triggered a $2.1 trillion rout in global
equities last week.


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Asian Currencies Weaken as Overseas Investors Shun Region's Riskier Assets

(Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies fell on speculation
global investors cut holdings in riskier assets as stock markets
across the region dropped.

The Indonesian rupiah declined to the weakest in almost five
months and the Malaysian ringgit and South Korean won slipped to
their lowest in July. Bank Indonesia said last week it isn't
worried by the currency's decline, while South Korea's central
bank said the won is set to drop as the current-account surplus
narrows.


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UPDATE 1-Doosan to buy Ingersoll units for $4.9 bln

(Reuters) - The biggest ever overseas acquisition by a South Korean
company will make Doosan one of the world's top seven
construction equipment makers, the South Korean firm said.




Ingersoll signed a definitive agreement to sell Bobcat, the
world's top compact construction equipment firm, and its utility
equipment and attachment businesses, which in 2006 together
generated $2.6 billion in sales and $370 million in operating
profits.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

South Korea's Stocks Fall on U.S. Housing Concern; Hyundai Heavy Declines

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks fell for the
third day. Kookmin Bank led declines on concern a deepening U.S.
housing slump will damp the world's biggest economy and prompt
investors to shun riskier assets.

The Kospi index dropped 17.86, or 1 percent, to 1,865.36 as
of 9:25 a.m. in Seoul. Stocks plunged on July 27 by the most in
more than three years, wiping out $46 billion in market value.


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Exporters, Hanjin Heavy, Hyundai Motor: South Korea's Equity Preview

(Bloomberg) -- The following shares may rise or fall
in South Korea. Prices refer to the July 20 close. This preview
includes news announced after markets shut. Stock symbols are in
brackets after the company names.

The Kospi index climbed 2.4 percent to a record 1,983.14. The
Kosdaq added 0.7 percent to 825.33. Kospi 200 futures expiring in
September advanced 2 percent to 252.55, while the underlying index
gained 2.3 percent to 251.45.


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Asian Stocks Rise to a Record; Hyundai Motor, Woodside Petroleum Advance

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose for a third day,
driving a regional benchmark to a record. Hyundai Motor Co. led
South Korean automakers higher after Meritz Securities Co.
lifted its price estimate for the stock, citing earnings.

Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Australia's second-largest oil and
gas producer, climbed as crude futures contracts traded near an
11-month high. Samsung Electronics Co. slid after prices of
computer memory chips fell by the most in two weeks.


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South Korean Stocks Fall, Snapping 7-Day Climb; Samsung Electronics Drops

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks fell for the first
time this month after investors judged recent gains excessive.
Samsung Electronics Co. led the decline.

LG.Philips LCD Co. advanced after it reported its first
profit in five quarters.


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South Korea's SK Telecom Co. to Sell Dollar Bonds as It Spends on Networks

(Bloomberg) -- SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest
mobile-phone operator, plans to sell dollar-denominated bonds as
it boosts spending to grow its wireless business.

The Seoul-based carrier hired Credit Suisse Group, Merrill
Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley to arrange the sale, according to
an e-mail sent by one of the arrangers.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News

Asian Stocks Resume July Rally on Economic Growth, Oil; Samsung Climbs

(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks resumed their July rally
on signs economic growth in Japan and South Korea is accelerating
and as crude oil traded near a 10-month high.

Japan's Komatsu Ltd. gained the most in a week after a
government report showed machinery orders rose more than forecast
in May. Samsung Electronics Co. led the Kospi index to a fourth
straight high after the commerce ministry raised its forecast for
South Korean exports. BHP Billiton Ltd., Australia's largest oil
explorer, climbed for an eighth day.


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Cattle Futures Gain as U.S. Exports Indicate Rising Beef Demand; Hogs Fall

(Bloomberg) -- Cattle futures rose for a third
straight session as a weekly export sales report indicated strong
demand for U.S. beef. Hog prices fell.

U.S. exporters reported net sales of 11,300 metric tons of
beef for the week ended June 28, including 1,300 tons for Japan
and South Korea, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. Sales
to those two nations, which had been closed to U.S. beef for much
of the past three years because of mad-cow disease concerns,
indicates longer-term sales growth, said Troy Vetterkind, a
trader at e-Hedger in Chicago.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

South Korean Stocks Gain, Led by Samsung, Chipmakers; Kangwon Land Plunges

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean stocks advanced for a
fourth day. Samsung Electronics Co. gained on speculation prices
for dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, will rise, helping
improve profit.

Kangwon Land Inc. tumbled by the most in more than four
years after the nearby city of Pyeongchang failed in its bid to
host the 2014 Winter Olympics.


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South Korean Stocks Gain; Led by Samsung Electronics, Daewoo Shipbuilding

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's benchmark stock index,
the Kospi Index, rose 0.09 percent at 9:05 a.m.

The index of 731 companies traded on the Korea Exchange rose
1.63 to 1,840.04. Among the stocks in the index, 315 rose, 200
fell and 216 were unchanged.


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South Korea's Export Growth Accelerates, Economy May Be Picking Up Pace

(Bloomberg) -- South Korea's export growth
accelerated and the nation's finance minister said improving
overseas sales will help drive a faster expansion of Asia's
third-largest economy in the next six months.

Exports climbed 15.9 percent in June from a year earlier
after rising a revised 11.4 percent in May, the commerce
ministry said in Gwacheon. That beat the 12 percent median
estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 11 economists.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

South Korean Manufacturers' Confidence Falls for First Time in Six Months

(Bloomberg) -- Confidence among South Korean
manufacturers about the outlook for July fell for the first time
in six months, on concerns that a rally in the local won
currency may hurt price competitiveness in overseas markets.

An index measuring sentiment among manufacturers fell to
86 from June's 91, the Bank of Korea said today in Seoul. The
sub-index for exporters of manufactured goods also fell to 90
from 96 in the same period, according to the poll of 2,929
companies. The index began in 2003 and has always had a reading
of less than 100, indicating pessimists outnumber optimists.


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South Korea's Won Strengthens on Consumer Confidence; Bonds Little Changed

(Bloomberg) -- The South Korean won had the
strongest close in more than a month after a central bank report
showed consumers were the most optimistic in 15 months in the
second quarter. Bonds were little changed.

Growth in Korea's gross domestic product is likely to
strengthen ``gradually'' over the rest of 2007 as domestic
demand picks up, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development said June 20. The won rose after the finance
ministry said consumers are supporting the expansion in Asia's
third-largest economy.


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Posco to Construct Third Steel-Processing Plant in Thailand, Official Says

(Bloomberg) -- Posco, Asia's third-biggest
steelmaker, plans to build a third processing plant in Thailand
and is looking for potential partners.

The company, based in Pohang, South Korea, will complete
the 120,000 metric ton plant by October next year, Ko Min Jin, a
Posco spokeswoman, said by phone from Seoul, confirming comments
made by In Chan Moon, Posco's head of Thai operations. The three
plants will process a combined 400,000 tons by 2011, Ko said.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

South Korean Consumer Confidence Rose to 15-Month High in Second Quarter

(Bloomberg) -- South Korean consumers showed the
most optimism in 15 months in the second quarter, an indication
that households may spend more and help spur economic growth.

The Bank of Korea's consumer confidence index increased to
108 in the second quarter from 103 in the previous three months,
the central bank said in a statement in Seoul today. A reading
higher than 100 indicates optimists outnumber pessimists.


Read more at Bloomberg Bonds News