Seoul shares up 1.9 pct in late-morning trade

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks traded 1.9 percent higher late Thursday morning as investor sentiment was boosted by hopes that the Federal Reserve may conduct monetary easing in the near future, analysts said.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) climbed 35.75 points to 1,915.86 as of 11:20 a.m.
U.S. markets closed higher on Wednesday on hopes for economic stimulus. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.46 percent and the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.13 percent.
Foreign investors snatched up local stocks worth 517.2 billion won (US$486.9 million) on the main bourse, giving strength to the key stock index.
Market leader Samsung Electronics rose 3.76 percent and chip giant Hynix Semiconductor added 3.93 percent.
The local currency was changing hands at 1,062.35 won to the greenback, up 4.45 won from Friday's close.