South Korean shares post worst week in nine months as chipmakers drop

Round-up of South Korean financial markets:

** South Korean shares fell more than 3% on Friday to post their biggest weekly drop in nine months, as chipmakers tracked an overnight slump in U.S. peers.

** The benchmark KOSPI KOSPI closed down 151.59 points, or 3.79%, at 3,853.26.

** The KOSPI fell 3.95% this week, the biggest weekly decline since late February.

** Wall Street stocks slid on Thursday in a sharp reversal from an early rally, as technology gains from Nvidia's NVDA positive earnings faded. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index SOX fell 4.8%.

** "Although worries about a bubble in artificial intelligence stocks eased, there still remain concerns over their financial structures," said Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities.

** The electric and electronic sector (.KS41) was the biggest decliner, down 6.43%, as chipmaker Samsung Electronics 005930 fell 5.77% and peer SK Hynix 000660 lost 8.76%.

** Battery maker LG Energy Solution 373220 slid 3.51%, while Hyundai Motor 005380 and sister automaker Kia Corp 000270 were down 0.95% and up 0.53%, respectively.

** Of the total 929 traded issues, 178 shares advanced, while 721 declined.

** Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 2.82 trillion won ($1.91 billion), marking their biggest daily sell-off on record.

** The won was quoted at 1,475.6 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform USDKRW, 0.23% lower than its previous close at 1,472.2.

** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds (KTBc1) gained 0.15 point to 105.92.

** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield (KR3YT=RR) fell by 4.4 basis points to 2.869%, while the benchmark 10-year yield KR10 fell by 2.9 basis points to 3.268%.

($1 = 1,475.5900 won)