** South Korean shares climbed to a record high on Friday, underpinned by battery manufacturers, as investor sentiment was lifted by optimism over trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington.
** The benchmark KOSPI was up 33.50 points, or 0.89%, at 3,781.39, as of 0203 GMT. The index recouped early losses of 0.7% to hit an all-time high.
** The index has risen 4.7% so far this week and is set to post a third consecutive weekly gain, if the current momentum persists.
** South Korean officials met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington on Thursday for follow-up trade negotiations, the Yonhap news agency reported, amid hopes of progress in stalled talks.
** U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday the countries were close to finalising a trade deal.** Seoul has been seeking to reach a deal by late October when U.S. President Donald Trump is due to visit the country for an Asia-Pacific summit.** Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics rose 1.02%, while peer SK Hynix gained 4.31%.
** Battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 3.5% and peer Samsung SDI surged nearly 9%. Battery materials maker LG Chem jumped 11.6%.
** Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were up 0.83% and 1.35%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 3.6%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics fell 0.6%.
** Of the total 928 traded issues, 285 shares advanced, while 599 declined.
** Foreigners were net buyers of shares worth 184.7 billion won ($130.00 million).
** The won was quoted at 1,419.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.13% lower than its previous close at 1,417.9.
** In money and debt markets, December futures on three-year treasury bonds gained 0.09 point to 106.93.
** The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell 3.0 basis points to 2.554%, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose 0.2 basis points to 2.887%. ($1 = 1,420.7300 won).