Stocks open slightly up amid rate hike concerns

Stocks opened slightly higher Monday as investors take caution about where the market will go from the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting held later this month. The benchmark Kospi rose 4.59 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,531.3 in the first 15 minutes...

Screens in Hana Bank's trading room in central Seoul show foreign and stock markets close on Friday. [YONHAP]

Stocks opened slightly higher Monday as investors take caution about where the market will go from the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting held later this month.

The benchmark Kospi rose 4.59 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,531.3 in the first 15 minutes of trading.

All U.S. stock indexes finished lower Friday amid woes over the Fed's additional rate hikes.

In Seoul, large-cap shares opened mixed.

Samsung Electronics shed 0.43 percent, and SK hynix traded flat. LG Chem went down 0.76 percent.

LG Energy Solution lost 0.89 percent, and Samsung SDI slid 0.86 percent.

Hyundai Motor retreated 0.49 percent, and Kia shrunk 0.46 percent.

Among gainers, Posco Holdings rose 1 percent, and Posco Future M surged 3.39 percent.

The local currency was trading at 1,300.9 won against the dollar at 9:15 a.m., down 4.1 won from the previous session's close.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO, YONHAP [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]