Seoul stocks end almost flat as investors weigh Fed's first rate hike in 3 yrs

SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- Seoul stocks closed almost flat Thursday, paring earlier gains, as investors digest the Federal Reserve's first rate hike in over three years. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

After opening higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed down 2.56 points, or 0.04 percent, to 6,715.41.

The index continued choppy trading throughout the day as investors sat on the sidelines after the Fed decided to raise the country's base rate by a quarter of a percentage point.

"But the impact of the decision on the market was limited as it was a widely expected decision. Investor sentiment remained relatively mild as a recent rise in oil prices appears to have slowed down," Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said.

On Wednesday (U.S. time), U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States and Iran are "hopefully towards the end of the war," and he had heard "directly" from Tehran without elaborating.

Brent crude futures, the international oil benchmark, fell nearly 3 percent Thursday to around US$105 per barrel.

Traders work inside the dealing room in Hana Bank in central Seoul on Sept. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)