S.Korea stocks surge on U.S. Senate race result, recovery hopes

    * KOSPI rises, foreigners net buyers
    * Korean won weakens against U.S. dollar
    * South Korea benchmark bond yield rises

    SEOUL, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Round-up of South Korean financial
markets:
    
    ** South Korean shares soared over 2% on Thursday, as major
heavyweights gained, aided by a Democratic win in the U.S.
Senate race in Georgia and hopes of economic recovery. The won
fell, while the benchmark bond yield rose.
    
    ** The benchmark KOSPI         gained 62.48 points, or
2.10%, to 3,030.69 as of 0211 GMT.
    
    ** The index surpassed 3,000 for the first time on record on
Wednesday, as investors driving the steepest rally in years look
towards a broad recovery in exports beyond the country's tech
titans.             
    
    ** Chip giant Samsung Electronics             rose as much
as 1.95%, leading gains, ahead of its preliminary fourth-quarter
earnings, where it is expected to post a 33% jump in profits.
            
    
    ** Peer SK Hynix             surged over 4%, while other
heavyweights such as LG Chem             and Hyundai Motor
            both gained 5.3% and 3% each.
    
    ** Democrats on Wednesday completed a sweep of the two U.S.
Senate seats up for grabs in runoff elections in Georgia, giving
the party control of the chamber and boosting the prospects for
President-elect Joe Biden's legislative agenda.             
    
    ** Back home, South Korea reported 870 new coronavirus cases
for Wednesday, government data showed, sharply down from the
peak in recent weeks.
    
    ** Foreigners were net buyers of 19.0 billion won ($17.45
million) worth of shares on the main board. 
    
    ** The won was quoted at 1,088.5 per dollar on the onshore
settlement platform           , 0.27% lower than its previous
close.
    
    ** In offshore trading, the won        was quoted at
1,088.2, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month
contract               was quoted at 1,088.4.
    
    ** In money and debt markets, March futures on three-year
treasury bonds         fell 0.02 points to 111.53.
    
    ** The most liquid 3-year Korean treasury bond yield rose by
2.1 basis points to 0.974%.

($1 = 1,088.8200 won)

 (Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)