Seoul: South Korean stocks ended higher Wednesday, rising for the third consecutive session, led by gains in auto and financial shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 52.8 points, or 1 percent, to close at 5,354.49, while the local currency gained ground against the U.S. dollar.

According to Yonhap News Agency, trade volume was moderate at 747.2 million shares worth 25.4 trillion won (US$17.5 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 541 to 337. The KOSPI opened lower after weaker-than-expected U.S. retail sales data raised concerns over an economic slowdown, and comments from some Federal Reserve officials dampened hopes for interest rate cuts. However, the index rebounded on solid buying by foreigners and institutions.

Foreigners and institutions net purchased 847.3 billion won and 689.4 billion won, respectively, offsetting a 1.7 trillion-won sell-off by retail investors. "Amid the absence of clear catalysts, the KOSPI gained ground thanks to revived momentum for the robotics sector and the strong performance of financial shares stemming from expectations for stock dividends," Lee Jae-won, an analyst at Shinhan Securities, commented.

Among the significant movers, auto giant Hyundai Motor surged 5.93 percent to 509,000 won, and Kia soared 4.59 percent to 161,800 won, benefiting from investors' expectations for the robotics sector. LG Electronics also skyrocketed 22.98 percent with positive assessment for the company's potential in robotics.

In the financial sector, KB Financial shot up 5.79 percent to 164,500 won, and Shinhan Financial jumped 3.06 percent to 100,900 won, while Meritz Financial escalated 7.45 percent to 131,200 won. Top-cap semiconductor heavyweights were mixed, with Samsung Electronics going up 1.21 percent to 167,800 won, while SK hynix lost 1.83 percent to 860,000 won.

In other sectors, major biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion rose 5.27 percent to 239,500 won, while defense firm Hanwha Aerospace dipped 1.4 percent to 1.13 million won. The Korean won was quoted at 1,450.1 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., up 9.1 won from the previous session.