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☆ Bank of Korea's first rate cut in two years 'understandable', 'not that surprising', says JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBank of Korea's first rate cut in two years 'understandable', 'not that surprising', says JPMorganPark Seok Gil, chief Korea economist at JPMorgan, suggests the bureau's case for cutting rates was about normalizing policy.

Persons: Seok Gil Organizations: Email Bank, JPMorgan Locations: Korea's, Korea

☆ South Korea inflation cools more than expected as rate cut talk grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Pedestrians walk past food stalls and shops in the Myeongdong shopping district of Seoul on March 26, 2024. South Korea's consumer inflation cooled more than forecast in September and below the central bank's target for the first time since early 2021, amid growing expectations of an imminent policy easing. The consumer price index rose 1.6% in September from a year earlier, after a rise of 1.9% in August, data from Statistics Korea showed on Wednesday. It was weaker than a median 1.9% increase tipped in a Reuters poll of economists and marked the weakest annual increase since February 2021. The reading was below the Bank of Korea's medium-term target of 2% and comes amid growing talk among policymakers and market participants about an imminent interest rate cut with the next policy meeting scheduled for Oct. 11.

Organizations: Statistics Korea, Bank of Locations: Seoul

☆ Japan's Nikkei smashes past 42,000 mark to all-time high; Asia-Pacific markets climb on tech rally and rate cut hopes
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Commercial and residential buildings are illuminated at dawn in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Japan's Nikkei 225 surged to a fresh high on Thursday, crossing the 42,000 mark for the first time. Other Asia-Pacific markets rose on the back of a U.S. Big Tech rally and greater confidence on Federal Reserve rate cuts. Chip stocks were among the biggest winners of the U.S. trading session. In Asia, investors will be watching for any spillover optimism in the region's tech stocks, particularly in Japan, where chip related companies have lifted the Nikkei 225 to record highs.

Persons: Topix Organizations: Nikkei, Big Tech, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Bank of Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Asia, Pacific, U.S, Japan

☆ South Korea's inflation is 'mostly driven by the supply side,' StanChart says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSouth Korea's inflation is 'mostly driven by the supply side,' StanChart saysChong Hoon Park, head of Korea economic research at Standard Chartered Bank, discusses the Bank of Korea's decision to hold interest rates.

Persons: StanChart, Chong Organizations: Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of Locations: Korea

☆ Asia markets mixed ahead of China trade data; Singapore first-quarter GDP climbs 2.7%
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday after an inflation-fueled selloff in the previous session, with investor assessing economic data from Singapore and South Korea while awaiting China trade numbers. China's trade data for March will be released later in the day, with exports forecast to fall 2.3% year on year by economists polled by Reuters. The city-state's central bank held its monetary policy steady, leaving the width and level of its policy band unchanged. In contrast to other countries, Singapore uses exchange rate settings for its monetary policy, instead of a benchmark interest rate. South Korea's March unemployment rate rose to 2.8%, while investors awaited the Bank of Korea's rate decision.

Persons: Singapore's Organizations: Reuters, Bank of Locations: Qingdao, Shandong province, Asia, Pacific, Singapore, South Korea, China

"With this (decision) Yoon is trying to make sure there is policy continuity in place ahead of election," said Park Sang-hyun, an economist at HI Investment & Securities. "Choi has been long-time finance ministry person and he basically spearheaded major economics policies of the Yoon administration from the very beginning so its a safe choice." Choi has a bachelor's degree from the Seoul National University law school, where Yoon also studied around the same time. Choi's career in government service has been mostly at the finance ministry, overseeing economic policy making, financial market policies, and external business relations. Yoon doesn’t need parliamentary approval to appoint a new finance minister, who also serves as deputy prime minister.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Choi Sang, mok, Choi, Choo, Yoon, Yoon's, Yoon doesn’t, Soo, hyang Choi, Ed Davies Organizations: HI Investment, Securities, Gallup, Bank of, Seoul National University, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Gallup Korea, Daegu

☆ Goldman Sachs expects the Bank of Korea to start cutting interest rates before the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGoldman Sachs expects the Bank of Korea to start cutting interest rates before the FedGoohoon Kwon of Goldman Sachs discusses the Bank of Korea's decision to hold interest rates at 3.5%. He expects a recovery in exports to prompt the BOK to start cutting rates ahead other Asian central banks.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goohoon Kwon, BOK Organizations: Bank of Locations: Bank of Korea

☆ South Korea Sept consumer inflation accelerates for second month
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Office workers pick up lunch boxes at a convenience store in Seoul, South Korea, June 24, 2022. REUTERS/ Heo Ran/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 4 (Reuters) - South Korea's consumer inflation accelerated for a second month in September, outpacing market expectations, official data showed on Thursday. It was the second consecutive month the annual rate quickened, from a 25-month low of 2.3% in July, and marked the fastest annual rise in five months. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said after the data release that inflation would likely stabilise again from October with seasonal factors easing. Broken down by sector, prices of petroleum products jumped 4.0% over the month, agricultural prices climbed 4.1%, while public utility prices added 5.3%.

Persons: Heo, Choo Kyung, Jihoon Lee, Ed Davies, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Statistics, CPI, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Statistics Korea, Bank of Korea's

REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoJuly 13 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The one percentage point fall in June headline consumer price inflation to 3.0% strengthened hopes that the U.S. economy is heading for a 'soft landing', boosting risk appetite and, more importantly for emerging markets, slamming the dollar. The yen has risen five days in a row, its longest winning streak against the dollar since November. That would be the biggest fall in exports since January - economists at SocGen are penciling in a 15.7% crash. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Thursday:- South Korea interest rate decision- China trade (June)- Thailand parliament elects new prime ministerBy Jamie McGeever; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Aly, Jamie McGeever, BOK, Josie Kao Organizations: Shanghai Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Asia FX, South Korean, Bank of, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Pudong, Shanghai, China, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Zealand, SocGen, Korea, Thailand

☆ Seoul property market hits an unusual cool patch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSeoul property market hits an unusual cool patchA unique method of investing in property market in South Korea and the Bank of Korea's interest rate cycle is putting the Seoul market under pressure, according to Yoona Choi of Knight Frank.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: The final hike?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. That happened to be the name of Paul Volcker's autobiography: 'Keeping at It.' Jerome Powell is literally taking a page out of Paul Volcker's playbook," said Conzo. Subscribe here to get this report sent directly to your inbox each morning before markets open.

☆ South Korea April inflation eases to 14-month low, matches expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 2 (Reuters) - South Korea's consumer inflation eased for a third consecutive month to a 14-month low in April on an annual basis, data showed on Tuesday, supporting the market's perception that the central bank's policy tightening cycle is over. The consumer price index (CPI) stood 3.7% higher in April than a year earlier, the Statistics Korea data showed, marking the slowest growth since February last year and following a 4.2% increase in March. Despite the sustained cooling in annual inflation, other measures showed inflation pressure was far from disappearing as prices rose on a monthly basis and annual inflation held steady when excluding volatile items. The CPI rose 0.2% in April from March, gaining for a fifth consecutive month, while the annual growth in the index excluding foods and energy items held steady at 4.0% for a third consecutive month, the data showed. The official target for the Bank of Korea's monetary policy is managing the broadest CPI growth at around 2% on an annual basis.

☆ South Korea data shows uneven economic recovery, suggests steady rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Choonsik Yoo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 31 (Reuters) - South Korea's factory output slumped while retail sales jumped in February, data showed on Friday, signalling an uneven economic recovery and bolstering the market's view that the central bank will keep rates on hold for the rest of the year. The industrial output index fell 3.2% in February from the month before after a 2.4% gain in January, while the retail sales index jumped 5.3% month-on-month after a 1.1% drop in January, according to Statistics Korea. South Korea's central bank, which started raising interest rates in August 2021 ahead of most central banks, has raised the policy rate by 300 basis points from just 0.5% but kept it unchanged at its latest meeting in February. Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong told reporters after the February decision that the central bank would not resume its rate hikes if inflation continued to moderate. Economists said the robust retail sales data could be temporary given the worsening outlook for exports, which influence a wide range of economic activity in South Korea.

☆ Bank of Korea holds rates after year of non-stop hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday, matching market expectations and ending an uninterrupted run of hikes for a year. The Bank of Korea's monetary policy board held its policy interest rate (KROCRT=ECI) steady at 3.50%, in line with a unanimous call by the 42 economists in a Reuters poll. Governor Rhee Chang-yong is due to hold a news conference soon. Reporting by Choonsik Yoo and Jihoon Lee; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea Jan inflation ticks up, leaves policy outlook steady
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jihoon Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The annual rate of price rises was the highest since October, when it was 5.7%. Temporary effects that had pushed up inflation included a lift in electricity charges, unfavourable weather for vegetables and a strong round of regular annual price rises, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. A breakdown of the data showed January public utility costs had risen 4.6% from the previous month while agricultural products had jumped 6.2%, leading the index higher. The Bank of Korea said in a separate statement that the tick-up in the inflation rate was in line with its expectations. The annual rate would be just as high in February, around 5%, it said.

☆ South Korea's Q4 GDP likely shrank, hints at possible recession - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Veronica Dudei Maia Khongwir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asia's fourth-largest economy is expected to have shrunk by a seasonally-adjusted 0.3% in the October-December quarter after growing 0.3% in the preceding period. All but one of 13 economists in the Jan. 16-19 Reuters poll forecast a contraction, with the other expecting growth to flatline. If realized, it would be the sharpest contraction since mid-2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was cementing its grip on the world. On a year-on-year basis, gross domestic product (GDP) likely grew 1.5% in the fourth quarter, the median forecast of 21 economists showed, half the 3.1% growth in the third quarter. According to a separate Reuters poll, growth was forecast at 2.5% in 2022, slowing to 1.9% this year.

Economists in a Reuters poll had predicted Friday's rate increase would mark the end of a rate-hike cycle that the Bank of Korea's began in late 2021. The Bank of Korea said its seven-member monetary policy board had decided to raise its policy interest rate (KROCRT=ECI) to 3.50%, the highest since late 2008. The interest-rate rise matched a prediction by 36 out of 40 economists in a Reuters poll, in which the remaining four had expected the central bank to hold the rate steady at 3.25%. The decision follows Governor Rhee Chang-yong's remarks this month that the central bank's policy stance would continue to focus on stabilising prices. Like its peers globally, the Bank of Korea is faced with growing pressure to adjust its policy stance as domestic consumer and corporate spending fades and global trade slows.

☆ South Korean inflation expectations hit 7-month low
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 27 (Reuters) - A major measure of the inflation expectations of South Korean consumers hit a seven-month low in December, underscoring the market's view that the Bank of Korea's policy tightening cycle is nearing an end. Consumers expected inflation for the next 12 months to be a median 3.8%, the Bank of Korea's monthly survey showed, down from 4.2% in November and the lowest since 3.3% in May. The Bank of Korea was among the first major economy central banks to begin raising interest rates, in August last year, and has up to November, raised its policy rate by a total of 275 basis points in nine steps to 3.25%. In the latest Reuters poll, the majority of analysts expected the Bank of Korea to raise the rate once again in early 2023, to 3.5%, and then stop its tightening cycle. Reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bank of Korea's Rhee 'not so sure' about digital currencies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 2 (Reuters) - South Korea's central bank governor Rhee Chang-yong said he became sceptical of the benefits of new technologies related to Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), after recent events in the cryptocurrency market. "I was more positive before, but after seeing the Luna, Terra, and now the FTX issues ... I don't know (if) we will see the real benefit of this new technology, at least for monetary policy," said Rhee, a panelist at a session on digital currency. The market saw another rout last month, after one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges FTX filed for bankruptcy, with crypto lending company BlockFi following suit. Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment at 2-year low -c.bank survey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 23 (Reuters) - South Korean manufacturers' business sentiment for December dropped to a more than two-year low, a central bank survey showed on Wednesday, amid growing economic uncertainties and persistently high inflation. The business outlook index for the manufacturing sector fell to 70 for December on a seasonally adjusted basis from 75 for November, according to the Bank of Korea's monthly survey of companies. In the survey, manufacturers cited economic uncertainty as the biggest difficulty, accounting for 22.7% of total responses, followed by rising raw material prices (18.5%) and weak domestic demand (11.4%). The index for non-manufacturers also inched down to 76 for December, from 77 for November, hitting the lowest since March 2021. Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea's Oct import prices rise at slowest pace in 15 months
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Nov 15 (Reuters) - South Korea's export and import prices rose at slower paces in October, with the latter softening to a 15-month low, central bank data showed on Tuesday. The country's export prices, in terms of the won currency, rose 13.7% in October from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea's provisional data, slower than a revised 14.7% rise in the previous month. Import prices also rose at a slower annual rate of 19.8%, compared with a revised 24.2% gain in September, and it marked the slowest rate since July 2021. The slowdown came despite higher oil prices and a weaker currency than in the previous month, with Dubai oil prices and dollar-won exchange rates rising 0.2% and 2.5% on monthly average, respectively, according to the BOK. In October 2021, export and import prices jumped 26.1% and 36.3%, respectively, marking their fastest annual growth rates in more than 13 years.

☆ South Korea's economy likely ground to near halt in Q3
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Devayani Sathyan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The export-led economy was expected to have expanded a seasonally-adjusted 0.1% last quarter, according to the median forecast of 21 economists, a sharp slowdown from the 0.7% quarterly growth in April-June. Three economists forecast an outright contraction and two expected the economy to flatline. "GDP growth is likely to have been slower in 3Q22 compared with 2Q22, mainly due to the slowdown in consumption. That, along with the Bank of Korea's (BOK) aggressive interest rate hikes to curb decade-high inflationary pressures, will weigh on the economy. According to a separate Reuters poll, growth is forecast to average 2.6% this year and ease to 1.9% next year.

☆ South Korea expands corporate bond-buying program amid credit crunch concern
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korea Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho speaks with his staff attending the G-20 Finance Ministers Meeting in Bali, Indonesia on July 16, 2022. South Korea's government will expand its corporate bond-buying program among other liquidity supply measures amid growing worries about a credit crunch in bond and short-term money markets. The government will double the ceiling of its corporate bond-buying facility run by state-run banks to 16 trillion won ($11 billion), Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho said on Sunday. Commercial paper issued by securities firms will be included in the facility's purchase list, while an additional 3 trillion won of liquidity will be supplied by the Korea Securities Finance Corp for securities firms experiencing liquidity shortages, he said. The Bank of Korea's monetary policy board will also consider its own measures, such as reactivating a special purpose vehicle to purchase corporate bonds and commercial paper first introduced during the pandemic, Governor Rhee Chang-yong told reporters.

☆ We expect the Bank of Korea will allow a wider rate differential with the Fed, says Goldman Sachs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe expect the Bank of Korea will allow a wider rate differential with the Fed, says Goldman SachsGoohoon Kwon of the investment bank discusses the Bank of Korea's 50 basis point rate hike.

☆ Asia-Pacific markets mixed amid fears of slowing growth; yen weakens past 146
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Abigail Ng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Wednesday amid concerns over the global economy and ahead of the Bank of Korea's rate decision. The Nikkei 225 in Japan was lower by about 0.2% while the Topix lost 0.15%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was little changed. South Korea's central bank is expected to raise interest rates by 50 basis points to 3% on Wednesday, according to a Reuters poll. The Korean won last changed hands at 1,432.30 per dollar.

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