S.Korea stocks hit near 9-month high ahead of Phase 1 trade deal

    * KOSPI gains, foreigners net buyers
    * Korean won strengthens versus U.S. dollar
    * South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

    SEOUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
** South Korean shares climbed to a near nine-month high on
Monday as the United States and China prepare to sign the Phase
1 trade deal, while foreigners buying chipmakers on improved
outlook also aided sentiment. 
    
** The Korean won strengthened and the benchmark bond yield
rose. 
        
** By 0211 GMT, the KOSPI         rose 10.98 points, or 0.50%,
to 2,217.37 — its highest since April 24, 2019. 
    
** The Trump administration has invited at least 200 people to a
Jan. 15 ceremony to witness the signing of the Phase 1 trade
deal, but the two nations have not yet finalised what, exactly,
will be signed, White House officials said on Friday.
             
    
** Along with the optimism over the signing ceremony,
expectations of South Korea chipmakers' better business outlook
picked up, prompting foreign investors to buy those stocks, said
Lee Young-gon, an analyst at Hana Financial Investment. 
    
** Shares of chipmakers Samsung Electronics             and SK
Hynix             gained 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. 
    
** Foreigners were net buyers of 53.5 billion won ($46.32
million) worth of shares on the main board. They were set to
become net buyers for the seventh straight session.  
    
** The won was quoted at 1,155.4 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform           , 0.51% higher than its previous
close at 1,161.3.
    
** In offshore trading, the won        was quoted at 1,155.3 per
U.S. dollar, up 0.2% from the previous day, while in
non-deliverable forward trading, its one-month contract
              was quoted at 1,154.0 per dollar.
    
** MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
                was up 0.29%, while U.S. stocks closed down on
Friday            . 
    
** The KOSPI has risen 1.03% so far this year, and gained 4% in
the previous 30 trading sessions.
    
** The trading volume during the session was 186.81 million
shares and, of the total traded issues of 903, the number of
advancing shares was 505.
    
** The won has gained 0.1% against the dollar so far this year.
    
** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds         fell 0.01 points to 110.25, while the
3-month Certificate of Deposit rate was quoted at 1.46%. 
    
** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 0.7
basis points to 1.417%, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose
by 1.2 basis points to 1.718%.

($1 = 1,154.9000 won)

 (Reporting by Hayoung Choi; editing by Uttaresh.V)