Smaller firms' business confidence gains for Nov.: poll
EconomyOct 29, 2020
South Korean smaller firms' business outlook rose for the second consecutive month for November on loosened coronavirus curbs and a recovery in exports, a poll showed Thursday. The survey of 3,150 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) showed that the small business health index (SBHI) stood at 74 for the coming month, up 2.8 points from October. It marked the second consecutive month of increase. The index gained to 71.2 for October from 67.9 in September. Yet the November tally was still below
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Debt of self-employed rises 4.7% in 2018EconomyOct 29, 2020SEJONG -- Debt held by the self-employed grew 4.7 percent in 2018, as their income fell amid the economic slowdown, raising concerns about their capacity to service debt, data showed Thursday. Average bank loans extended to a self-employed person amounted to 164 million won ($144,000) as of end-2018, compared with 156 million won a year ago, according to the data released by Statistics Korea. Banks have increased loans to the self-employed as the financial regulator is seeking to curb the gr -
BOK again extends special lending program amid pandemicEconomyOct 29, 2020The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Thursday it will again extend a special loan scheme for financial institutions by three months to help them stem a possible funding squeeze amid the coronavirus pandemic. The central bank said its decision-making monetary policy board decided to extend the special loan facility, originally set to expire on Nov. 3, until Feb. 3. It marks the second extension since the program's inception in May. In August, the BOK extended the special loan program by three months.
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Seoul stocks open sharply lower on Wall Street plungeMarketsOct 29, 2020South Korean shares opened sharply lower Thursday on an overnight Wall Street plunge, as the new coronavirus outbreaks in the major global economies continued to surge at an alarming rate. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 25.96 points, or 1.11 percent, to 2,319.3 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investor sentiment grew risk-averse, as a resurgence in virus cases in the United States and Europe raised concerns that the worsening pandemic may deliver heavy damage -
S. Korean candidate behind Nigerian rival in global trade-chief raceEconomyOct 29, 2020GENEVA -- South Korea's trade minister has failed to drum up landslide support from member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to head the global trade body, with her Nigerian rival standing ahead in a two-way race, the outcome of a WTO General Council meeting showed Wednesday. The WTO said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria has garnered more support from the WTO's 164 member states than South Korea's Yoo Myung-hee. As the process to pick the new director-general of the WTO is based on -
Hyundai Capital reshaping COVID-hit volleyball sceneMarketsOct 29, 2020The monthslong coronavirus pandemic has affected much of South Korean society, and the sports sector is one of many that has felt the brunt of the crisis. Athletes in nearly all sports play in empty stadiums, while others have had their seasons canceled. Aiming to reignite fans’ passion for volleyball amid the pandemic, the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers, owned by auto financing firm Hyundai Capital, recently organized an online event to show fans around the team’s locker room a -
Hong vows deregulation for nonspeculative home buyersMarketsOct 28, 2020Responding to continuing public complaints that the latest and forthcoming real estate policies impose excessive burdens upon nonspeculative end users, the South Korean government is set to lowering the tax rate for budget residences, the nation’s fiscal chief said Wednesday. He also rolled out a “phased” housing system that would allow prospective homebuyers with limited credit to eventually own a residential home by accumulating stake in the given property throughout the -
Seoul stocks snap 2-day losing streak on tech gainsMarketsOct 28, 2020South Korean shares ended their two-day losing streak Wednesday, helped by a tech rally, amid intensifying woes over the pandemic. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 14.42 points, or 0.62 percent, to close at 2,345.26. Trading volume was moderate at about 695 million shares worth some 8.8 trillion won ($7.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 615 to 237. Foreigners bought a net 15 billion won, with retail investors pu -
Woori Bank launches Korea desk in BangladeshMoneyOct 28, 2020Woori Bank said Wednesday it has launched a Korea desk at its branch in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to help South Korean companies extend their business into the South Asian country. Through the service desk, the lender will provide useful market information, including local financial regulations, along with special offers like hotel reservations and airport pickup for customers on business trips to Bangladesh. Also, the officials will conduct financial counseling programs targeting those who are plan -
No. of South Korean rich surges twofold in decadeEconomyOct 28, 2020The number of rich people in South Korea has more than doubled in the past 10 years, a report showed Wednesday. According to the Korea Wealth Report 2020 released by KB Financial Group Research Institute, the number of people with financial assets worth more than 1 billion won ($884,000) reached 350,000 last year, up 9.6 percent on-year. The report defines a rich as a person holding financial assets worth more than 1 billion won. The number of Korean rich has been growing for nine years, wit -
New Citibank Korea CEO stresses risk managementMoneyOct 28, 2020Yoo Myung-soon, the new CEO of Citibank Korea -- the local branch of New York-based Citigroup -- urged the bank’s leaders as well as employees to ramp up efforts to counter potential managing risks for consumer protection in her inaugural speech Wednesday, officials said. “New risk factors evolve as our operating environment changes. Risk management and internal controls are a key responsibility for all of us,” Yoo said. Also, she vowed to enhance the lender&rsq -
Local fintech startup unveils Korea’s first commercial system to rule out naked short sellingMarketsOct 28, 2020A local startup on Wednesday unveiled the nation‘s first commercial securities lending system targeting institutional investors at home and abroad to help them prevent errors that can lead to naked short selling activities against the law, often unintended. TruWeb, new securities lending platform developed by financial technology startup Tru Technologies, allows an institutional investor -- investment banks or brokerage firms -- to take advantage of automated process when making arrangeme -
Consumer sentiment sees highest rise in some 12 years in OctoberEconomyOct 28, 2020South Korea’s consumer sentiment improved significantly in October driven by rising optimism over the economic outlook and relaxed social distancing rules, central bank data showed Wednesday. The composite consumer sentiment index gained 12.2 points to 91.6 on-month, marking the greatest single month increase the gauge has seen in some 12 years, the Bank of Korea said. The index gained 20.2 points on-month to 93 in April 2009, when the country was reeling from the 2008 financial crisis. -
S. Korea's daily FX turnover falls in Q3 amid won's gainEconomyOct 28, 2020The daily foreign exchange (FX) trading by banks in South Korea declined 4.7 percent in the third quarter from three months earlier amid the local currency's gain against the US dollar, central bank data showed Wednesday. The daily FX turnover came to an average $49.56 billion in the July-September period, down $2.46 billion from the second quarter, according to the data by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The drop came as an inflow of foreign investors' stock funds slowed amid the won's gain and FX d -
Childbirths in S. Korea slip 7.8% in AugustEconomyOct 28, 2020SEJONG -- The number of babies born in South Korea slipped 7.8 percent in August from a year earlier, data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign underscoring the low birthrate that has plagued the nation for more than a decade. The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 22,472 babies were born in August, compared with 24,371 tallied in the same month of 2019. It marks the lowest number of newborns for any July since the statistics agency started compiling monthly data on newborns in 1981.
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