On Dec. 18, Korea Development Bank (KDB) and the Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC) announced the selection of the Pan Ocean-JKL consortium as the preferred bidder for the acquisition of the management rights of HMM, the largest ocean container shipping company in South Korea. After negotiation
Securities firms have been caught engaging in illegal “bond shuffling” practices, transferring bond losses, sometimes amounting to as much as 500 billion won (US$383.44 million), to other clients in an attempt to preserve investment returns for certain institutions and corporations. These activities
According to the Korea Securities Depository on Dec. 17, the cumulative settlement amount for the sale of foreign stocks by domestic investors has reached US$137.05 billion as of Dec. 14 since the beginning of this year. This figure surpasses the corresponding purchase settlement amount of US$135.97
Last month, foreign investment funds in domestic stocks and bonds reversed into net inflows for the first time in four months.According to a report titled “Trends in International Finance and Foreign Exchange Markets Since November” released by the Bank of Korea on Dec. 12, foreign securities invest
President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to make a state visit to the Netherlands from Dec. 11 to 14, spanning four days and three nights.This marks the first state visit to the Netherlands by a Korean president since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1961. During this vis
After the implementation of the short selling ban last month, it has been revealed that foreign investors have acquired over 3 trillion won worth of domestically listed stocks in the past month. This marks a turnaround for foreign investors, shifting from net selling to net buying of domestic stocks
Mirae Asset Global Investments announced on Dec. 5 the listing of two new Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on the Korea Exchange: the “TIGER U.S. Tech TOP10INDXX (H) ETF (472160)” and the “TIGER U.S. Tech TOP10 Bond Mixed ETF (472170).”The TIGER U.S. Tech TOP10INDXX (H) ETF invests in the top 10 market
It has been revealed that the outstanding corporate loans of the five major commercial banks in South Korea have surged by over 65 trillion won since the beginning of this year. With the government and financial authorities seeking to restrain household loans, there is increasingly intense competiti
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at esshim@nhqv.com -- Ed.After a large stake selloff by a strategic collaborative client, Suresofttech’s share price has slid amid worsened investor sentiment. But, we expect the collaboration to continue, with steady earning
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at jk.ahn@shinhan.com -- Ed.The Bank of Korea (BOK) unanimously decided to leave the base rate unchanged at 3.50% for a tenth consecutive month at the November Monetary Policy Board (MPB) meeting. The number of MPB members open to th
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), the sovereign wealth fund, has exhibited a return rate in the 7% range from January to the end of August this year. It has successfully recovered approximately 40% of losses incurred in the previous year.KIC announced on Nov. 29 that the total asset return rate fo
The government has decided to extend financial market stabilization measures, currently operating at a scale of 37.4 trillion won (US$28.77 billion), until the end of next year. Additionally, flexibility measures in financial regulations, such as the banks’ liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and the res
The acquisition battle for South Korea’s largest shipping company HMM has narrowed to a competition between Dongwon Group and Harim Group.According to investment banking (IB) sources on Nov. 23, HMM’s bondholders, including Korea Development Bank (KDB), Korea Ocean Business Corporation, and the sell
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at bk@nhqv.com -- Ed.Although the Covid-19 pandemic has ended, it has impacted global policies and life patterns. Anti-globalization has accelerated, and the new Cold War has deepened, with regional wars erupting. While drama
Korean researchers have developed a world-class ruthenium (Ru) catalyst for ammonia decomposition that will accelerate production of clean hydrogen by extracting hydrogen from ammonia, the key to the hydrogen economy quickly and in large quantities. Above all, the world does not have a commercial pr
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at junsup@nhqv.com -- Ed.Through its 3Q23 earnings announcement, Samsung F&M demonstrated stable underwriting profit, excellent new contract creation ability, and only limited impact from the implementation of IFRS17 actuaria
SK on is actively tapping the year-end financial market to secure investment funds for its battery ventures. Following its debut in the public offering corporate bond market earlier this year, the company is now actively utilizing the short-term corporate paper (CP) market for fundraising.According
SK On, a leading electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer, announced today it has signed a battery cell supply agreement with the Swedish EV maker Polestar, securing another long-term growth engine in the global battery market.Under the agreement, SK On will supply battery cells to Polestar for it
The strength of the U.S. dollar, along with measures to stabilize the market and prevent further depreciation of the South Korean won, has resulted in a decline in foreign exchange reserves for the third consecutive month.According to foreign reserves statistics released by the Bank of Korea on Nov.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are igniting a market recovery for NAND flash, which has been slower to rebound compared to DRAM, by transitioning processes and reducing production.On Nov. 3, industry insiders forecasted that NAND would still take more time to recover due to its higher inventory le