In September, South Korea’s trade conditions improved for the fourth consecutive month. Export volumes also turned positive compared to the same month last year, marking the first increase in three months. Export revenue has continued to decline for the 12 consecutive month, but the extent of the de
Mirae Asset Global Investments, through its ETF subsidiary Global X Hong Kong, announced on Oct. 30 that it will commence trading of the “Global X Hang Seng TECH ETF” on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges starting Nov. 6.The Global X Hang Seng TECH ETF is an ETF that tracks the Hang Seng Tech
Following the pandemic, South Korea remained in the middle to lower range in terms of growth rates among advanced economies. However, it ranked higher in terms of price stability indicators. This suggests a ‘trade-off’ between investment-led growth expansion and tight fiscal policy.According to the
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised South Korea’s sound fiscal policies, stating that the country’s national debt is at an appropriate level. However, the IMF has also expressed concerns about the high levels of household debt in South Korea.According to the transcript of a press brief
Investor concerns are growing within the overseas real estate fund market as even prime overseas office buildings with low vacancy rates are showing investment losses. Particularly, as the maturity dates of real estate funds established from 2018 to 2021 are set to continue, warning signs are also o
In the third quarter (July-September) of this year, the Korean economy continued to grow thanks to a recovery in exports and consumption in the private sector. However, uncertainties surrounding outlooks on growth for the fourth quarter have increased with consumer and business sentiment deteriorati
There seems no end in sight in the growth of Korea’s trade deficit with China. This is due to a significant drop in Korea’s exports of high-tech products such as semiconductors and displays to China.Korea’s exports and imports from China reached US$91.6 billion and US$107.3 billion, respectively, in
The proportion of so-called “zombie companies” unable to cover interest costs with their operating profit has reached its highest level since 2009, standing at 42.3 percent last year. Due to the global economic slowdown and the impact of high interest rates, corporate underperformance persisted in t
Amid the rising value of the U.S. dollar and the subsequent selling off to capitalize on profits, residents’ foreign currency deposits decreased by nearly $100 billion last month, marking a continuous decline for the second month in a row. Consequently, the foreign currency deposit balance shrank to
A forecast suggests that South Korea’s potential growth rate will fall below 2 percent for the first time this year and is expected to further decrease to 1.7 percent next year. The factors contributing to the decline in growth rate include issues related to low birth rates, an aging population, and
McKinsey introduced the content of its report, “Koreas Next S-Curve,” to international media outlets at Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Oct. 19. In the report, the company proposed three pillars of reorganization, transformation, and construction and eight action items for Korea’s economic renaissance.McKi
Just last month, a substantial amount of approximately 11 trillion won (US$8.14 billion) in Korean won was withdrawn from the U.S. dollar deposits of the top five domestic commercial banks. It is analyzed that people exchanged dollars for won to capitalize on exchange rate differentials with the won
The World Bank (WB), along with the Group of Seven (G7) countries, has decided to invest US$40 million in developing countries in order to stabilize global supply chains. The WB plans to raise US$100 million within five years, and the Korean government will contribute US$3 million in the early stage
Korea’s current account surplus reached US$4.81 billion in August, marking the fourth consecutive month of surplus. Although the goods balance posted the highest surplus in a year and five months, the surplus remained a recessionary one as imports fell more than exports. The Bank of Korea (BOK) fore
This year, South Korea is expected to record a growth rate lower than that of Japan. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has maintained its earlier projection of 1.4 percent for South Korea’s growth rate this year. Japan’s growth rate projection for this year has risen to 2.0 percent, expected to
The size of alternative investments in overseas real estate by domestic financial firms has grown by 2 trillion won (US$1.48 billion) in the past year, according to recent findings. Concerns about potential losses for financial firms have arisen due to the downturn in the overseas real estate market
Korea’s foreign exchange reserves fell for the second consecutive month in September as the U.S. dollar continued to strengthen.Korea’s foreign exchange reserves stood at US$414.1 billion at the end of September, down by US$4.18 billion from US$418.3 billion at the end of August, according to foreig
Amid a decline in overseas real estate prices, funds that invested in offices in the United States and Europe are facing potential losses. It has been estimated that over 1 trillion won was invested in mutual funds that were sold since 2018. The number of investors who have invested in these funds e
South Korean government bond yields have been on a soaring trajectory, surging by nearly 0.5 percentage points in just the past month, and are now heading towards the 5 percent range.According to the Economic Statistics System of the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Oct. 5, the yield on 10-year government bon
In the era of high interest rates and low growth, the rapidly increasing corporate debt has become another critical concern for the South Korean economy. Particularly worrisome is the growing prevalence of zombie companies that are keeping themselves afloat through debt, primarily among small and me