* KOSPI rises 1.8%, sees best week in two months
* Korean won jumps, snaps 6-week losing streak
* South Korea benchmark bond yield falls
* For the midday report, please click
SEOUL, May 20 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
** South Korean shares closed 1.8% higher on Friday and
posted their biggest weekly gain in two months, as China's
policy measures and a weaker dollar boosted investor sentiment.
** The won jumped and snapped a six-week falling streak,
while the benchmark bond yield fell.
** The KOSPI ended up 46.95 points, or 1.81%, at
2,639.29, marking the highest close in two weeks. For the week,
it rose 1.35%.
** Risk sentiment improved amid eased downside factors like
the Ukraine crisis and China's lockdown, while China also showed
that the country is now in a time of economic stimulus policies,
said Mirae Asset Securities' analyst Seo Sang-young.
** China cut its benchmark reference rate for mortgages by
an unexpectedly wide margin.
** Among heavyweights, technology giant Samsung Electronics
rose 0.74% and peer SK Hynix gained
1.35%, while battery maker LG Energy Solution and
its parent company LG Chem surged 4.45% and 8.57%
each.
** S-Oil lost 0.93% after the oil refiner
suspended production of several processing units due to a blast
at its Onsan refinery.
** Foreigners were net buyers of 194.0 billion won ($153.29
million) worth of shares on the main board.
** The won was last quoted at 1,268.1 per dollar on the
onshore settlement platform, up 0.76%.
** The currency strengthened by 1.27% against dollar for the
week. It also marked the fastest weekly gain since mid-March.
** In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,267.8
per dollar, down 0.4%, while in non-deliverable forward trading,
its one-month contract was quoted at 1,267.3.
** In money and debt markets, June futures on three-year
treasury bonds rose 0.15 point to 105.44.
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by
3.3 basis points to 3.013%, while the benchmark 10-year yield
fell by 6.2 basis points to 3.245%.
($1 = 1,265.5900 won)
(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; editing by Uttaresh.V)