Seoul shares open lower on inflation, Mideast woes

What happened: Seoul shares opened lower Monday as technology stocks fell amid inflation concerns tied to elevated oil prices and the escalating Middle East crisis. The decline came despite overnight gains on Wall Street. Key numbers: Kospi fell 83.72 points, or 1.26 percent, to 6,542.21 as of 9:15 a.m., after opening 0.72 percent lower. Why it matters: A broader Middle East conflict could further disrupt energy supplies, stoking inflation and increasing pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Tech stocks led the Seoul decline.

Seoul shares open lower on inflation, Mideast woes.

Seoul shares open lower on inflation, Mideast woes. — impact context not separately stored; see What changed.