Seoul shares seen up; Samsung eyed after iPhone 5 event

SEOUL, Sept 13 (Reuters) - South Korean stocks are expected
to extend gains on Thursday after Germany's top court approved
the new euro zone rescue fund and as hopes mount for possible
monetary stimulus by central banks in South Korea and the United
States.
Samsung Electronics will be in focus after rival
Apple Inc unveiled its new iPhone with a bigger screen
and faster wireless technology, but failed to offer major
surprises. Apple's parts suppliers including LG
Display will be also eyed.
"Expectations of monetary easing in the United States and
South Korea will have a positive impact on shares today," said
Park Ok-hee, an analyst at IBK Investment & Securities.
"Options expiries today will have a limited impact on
shares," Park said.
The U.S. Federal Reserve, which concludes a two-day meeting
on Thursday, is expected to launch another round of bond buying,
but some analysts warned of potential disappointment.
There is also a Bank of Korea policy rate decision on
Thursday morning, when the South Korean central bank is widely
expected to cut rates for a second time this year to prop up
Asia's fourth-biggest economy.
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) finished up
1.6 percent at 1,950.03 points on Wednesday, its best close
since Aug.16 and ending two days of losses.
Samsung Electronics shares jumped 3 percent, shrugging off
concerns about rising competition from Apple.
-------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @21:54 GMT----------------
INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG
S&P 500 1,436.56 0.21% 3.000
USD/JPY 77.85 0.05% 0.040
10-YR US TSY YLD 1.758 -- 0.057
SPOT GOLD $1,730.14 -0.05% -0.860
US CRUDE $96.92 -0.09% -0.090
DOW JONES 13333.35 0.07% 9.99
ASIA ADRS 120.23 0.87% 1.04
-------------------------------------------------------------
>Wall St ends flat as Fed wait nears an end
>Bonds fall on German court ruling, 10-year sale
>Euro rises to 4-month high vs dollar
>Brent up on German ruling, but EIA data curbs rise

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Edmund Klamann)