South Korean stocks extended their losing streak to a third session on Tuesday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the release of U.S. inflation data, widely seen as a key indicator of the Federal Reserve’s next policy moves. 

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 16-point-86 points, or zero-point-53 percent, Tuesday to close at three-thousand-189-point-91.

The tech-heavy KOSDAQ lost four-point-66 points, or zero-point-57 percent, to close at 807-point-19.

Energy, shipbuilding and entertainment stocks led the decline. 

Doosan Enerbility tumbled five-point-62 percent to 65-thousand won, while the Korea Electric Power Corp. slipped one-point-15 percent to 38-thousand won. 

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering dropped two-point-06 percent to 356-thousand won, and Hanwha Ocean lost two-point-eight percent to 104-thousand won. 

Entertainment heavyweight CJ ENM shed zero-point-eight percent to 74-thousand won, and K-pop agency Hybe fell two-point-42 percent to 282-thousand won.

Some large-cap tech stocks bucked the trend, with Samsung Electronics inching up zero-point-14 percent to 71-thousand won and SK hynix gaining zero-point-75 percent to 269-thousand won. 

Game developer NCSOFT surged ten-point-12 percent to 223-thousand won after reporting stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings.