Korea Economic Daily

Nickel prices, which had fallen on slowing EV demand and China’s construction downturn, have staged a sharp rebound, breaking above $17,000 per metric ton (t) for the first time in 15 months. The move follows an announcement by Indonesia—the world’s

As the won-dollar exchange rate has climbed again to near 1,480 won at the start of the year, voices are emerging—particularly in academia—that the Bank of Korea should be considering a hike in its policy rate. The argument is that narrowing the inte

Retail investors are placing big bets on gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs). As the won-dollar exchange rate has recently turned upward again and the value of the won has weakened, analyses suggest gold has become more attractive as an investment. Acc

Import prices rose for a sixth consecutive month through last month, data showed. Prices typically ease when global crude prices fall, but the exchange rate—spiking into the high KRW 1,400s per dollar—pushed prices higher. According to export and imp

“No actions that undermine central bank independence” “Political pressure on the Fed would lift inflation and rates” Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, warned that political interference with the US central bank (the Fed) would instead push interest

Major U.S. stock indexes in New York fell across the board. Financial shares weakened on news that U.S. President Donald Trump would regulate credit-card interest rates. The December Consumer Price Index (CPI) largely matched expectations. On the 13t

◆ U.S. stocks weaken on fallout from Trump’s push to cap credit-card interest rates Wall Street’s three major indexes fell together on the 13th local time. Financial stocks weakened after major Wall Street banks criticized U.S. President Donald Trump

Analysis by Ira Kalish, Deloitte chief economist Trump immigration policy raises possibility of first US population decline since 1918 Inflation could reach 4.5% if companies start passing through tariffs AI-led stock gains lift spending by the top 1

Public defense as the U.S. Justice Department weighs indictment Europe on edge over possible dollar, FX turbulence As reports emerged that the U.S. Department of Justice is considering indicting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over the cost of re

Drop on spreading speculation that the "Takaichi government may call an early general election" "An early election would weaken the yen and Japanese government bonds" The Japanese yen fell to its lowest level in 18 months since July 2024 against the

Government measures that only hobble companies… KRW/USD breaks past 1,470 Government rolls out a barrage of ineffective steps Vows to inspect illegal FX transactions Companies: “Even legitimate trades are being flagged” FX authorities fail to manage

Part of front-runner NXT consortium Musicow: "A decade-long fractional investment business You can’t call Lucent Block the only innovator" A dispute over the preliminary approval for an over-the-counter exchange for security tokens (STOs) is escalati

New York Fed President John Williams publicly backs Powell Stresses Fed independence, saying it “helped deliver major gains in curbing inflation” John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, publicly defended Federal Reserve Chai

GA and crypto exchanges also required to invest in security Corporate insurance agencies (GAs), cryptocurrency exchanges and loan companies—previously in financial security blind spots—could as early as next year be subject to regulations on par with

The won-dollar exchange rate is holding above 1,470 won during intraday trading. The rate is seen to have come under upward pressure as foreign investors’ equity selling and FX conversion demand for overseas investment continued. As of 2:10 p.m. on t

Won-dollar rate again threatens 1,470 won Yen rattled again on Japan’s expanded fiscal-spending signal The won, also swayed by strong ‘coupling’ sentiment with the yen, comes under pressure Expectations for US rate cuts fade Geopolitical headwinds fr

The three major U.S. stock indexes closed slightly higher. Reports also circulated that the Trump administration has launched a criminal probe that could lead to charges against Jerome Powell, chair of the U.S. central bank (Fed). On the 12th (local

◆ US stocks close higher on bargain buying despite caution over Powell probe Wall Street’s three major indexes ended modestly higher. On the 12th local time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.17% from the previous session to 49,590.20, the S&P

"‘Sell America’ wave as April tariff shock, peak Fed pressure revisited" Gold rises nearly 2% as a risk hedge U.S. stocks, Treasuries and the dollar all fell on the 12th (local time) after the U.S. Department of Justice sought to question Federal Res

1,460 won breached 20 days after authorities’ intervention The won-dollar exchange rate rose by more than 10 won on the 12th (a decline in the won’s value), climbing into the 1,460-won range. The move was attributed to a sharp weakening of the Japane

Gold climbs back to a record high at $4,600 an ounce Asian stocks extend gains on tech strength U.S. stock-index futures and the dollar fell as investors pulled money out of U.S. assets amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the Fe

The Donald Trump administration has launched an investigation into Jerome Powell, chair of the US central bank, the Federal Reserve (Fed) (pictured). Critics warn that an unprecedented probe of a Fed chair could undermine the Fed’s independence and r

Hearing from Wall Street (4) Torsten Slok, Chief Economist at Apollo Global Hawks vs. doves at the Fed over the rate path Policy could be swayed by political pressure Key investment risks to watch Fiscal expansion, inflation, excessive concentration

U.S. ramps up pressure on Iran’s government, says “talks are open” Financial sanctions, support for anti-government forces Blocking SpaceX internet network, etc. Trump weighs a range of options Concerns also raised: “Gives Khamenei a pretext for reta

Lucentblock, a startup that has operated a real-estate tokenized securities (STO) platform as an Innovative Financial Service for four years, has called on financial regulators to reconsider the licensing process for an over-the-counter STO exchange,

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 11th (local time) that Iran had called to say it “wants negotiations,” following his threat of U.S. military intervention in response to massive anti-government protests in Iran. According to AFP, Trump told re

As anti-government protests in Iran, sparked by economic hardship, enter a third week, the number of casualties is rising rapidly. On the 11th (local time), Iran Human Rights (IHR), a Norway-based organization, said it had confirmed at least 192 deat

Trump convenes 20 oil industry executives at the White House "At least $100 billion investment to restart production" ExxonMobil: "Venezuela is not investable" "Investment decision possible only once profitability, legal protections, etc. are clarifi