《Economy》
☞ Next year's Korean manufacturing and exports 'warning light'... 'Export mainstay' semiconductors are also expected to struggle... Industrial Research, Korea Economic Association, and Korea Federation of SMEs issue outlook reports... unanimous concerns... Major industries such as semiconductors face intensified challenges due to US protectionist trade policies and competition from China.
☞ Three new Mbus routes connecting Seoul~Incheon, Busan~Geoje will be established next year... Three new Mbus routes will be established... Seoul Yangji~Incheon Junggu, Seoul Gangnam~Incheon Yeonsu-gu, Busan~Geoje
☞ 'Borrowing to repay debt' is now difficult... Applications for personal debt adjustment and rehabilitation reach an all-time high... Corporate bankruptcies are already at a record high
☞ Electricity rate hike momentum weakens in impeachment situation... Possibility of freezing in the first quarter... Announcement of fuel cost adjustment unit price next week... Expected to maintain +5 won per kWh... Discussions on electricity rate adjustments are delayed due to political turmoil... Korea Electric Power Corporation faces a snowballing deficit
☞ "Providing tax deductions for exempt individuals is the first step in pension reform"... KIRI report 'Application of tax deductions for exempt individuals and its implications'
《Finance》
☞ Despite the rising won-dollar exchange rate, individual investors continue to buy inverse ETFs... "Average loss of 7%"... The won-dollar exchange rate has risen by nearly 50 won this month... Individuals net purchase 22 billion won worth of dollar inverse products... 7% plunge..."Uncertainty may lead to further increases"
☞ Inheritance tax reduction 'stalled'... Discussions on converting inheritance tax to acquisition tax in the first half of next year... Burden of reintroducing the bill due to impeachment situation... Possibility of setting and expanding deduction limits per individual
☞ 'Big hands' invest in power stocks amid market downturn... Power stocks are included in the top ranking of net purchase amounts... Expected to avoid impact from US tariffs on South Korean exports due to Trump's inauguration
☞ Bitcoin halts its downward trend after four days... Trading in the $97,000 range... Upward trend since the US election... Three days of decline following the Federal Reserve's interest rate announcement... High volatility expected in the near future... Long-term outlook remains bullish
☞ Delinquency rate on household loans doubles this year... Authorities 'adjusting' sunshine loan program... Default rates for Sunshine Loan 15 and Special Consideration for Low Creditworthiness reach record highs... Banks are also loosening lending standards for living expenses and non-face-to-face loans
《Business》
☞ K-battery takes the top spot in the US market, surpassing Japan and China... US imports of secondary battery core materials amounted to $9.6 billion... Of this, 33.7% came from Korea... a sharp increase from 8.5% in 2020... Trump's move to impose tariffs on secondary batteries is gaining momentum
☞ Aurora Ping boom SAMG... Strong sales in China and Japan lead to a projected profit in the fourth quarter... Tiny Ping Season 2 aired in Japan in mid-October and MD sales began... Sold at over 1,200 stores nationwide... Some store sales reached 200 million won..."Exceeding expectations in the early stages... Brand awareness increased through promotions"... Fourth quarter profit is a foregone conclusion... Anticipation for significant performance improvement next year
☞ Samsung and SK lower their fourth-quarter semiconductor earnings expectations due to weak demand... Samsung DS operating profit is expected to be in the range of 3 trillion to 4 trillion won... SK Hynix's maximum earnings are expected, but market expectations have slightly decreased
☞ Lotte accelerates financial improvement... Sale of Mart Yeongtong branch and withdrawal from healthcare business... Tightening its belt and restructuring its business portfolio... The retail industry is pushing forward with real estate revaluation and asset sales... Strengthening new growth businesses and implementing shareholder value enhancement
☞ Construction companies are heading towards the sea… Expanding their reach through 'offshore wind power'... Hanwha, Daewoo, Hyundai, major domestic corporations are expanding related businesses... IEA "Offshore wind power will become the second largest source of global electricity generation by 2035"
《Real Estate》
☞ K workers are worried about job security even with emergency decree... "4 out of 10 people worry about losing their jobs next year"... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, National Tax Service, etc., take strict measures such as tax collection
☞ Interest in subscriptions plummeted↓ during the impeachment crisis... The rate of cancellations also surged sharply… The housing market has frozen… Lending regulations and political uncertainty have dampened buying sentiment… Construction industry considering adjusting its January and February subscription plans… “If this continues, the local real estate market will collapse”… Outlook for market stabilization not expected until after the first quarter of next year
☞ "My debt is 6.9 billion won"… Fierce interest in the 'Apgujeong Hyundai' apartment that went up for auction… The amount of collateral set by the loan company alone was 5.47 billion won… High-interest rates are leading to a string of luxury properties being auctioned off
☞ Hanam Gyosan increases the supply of small-sized housing by 3,660 units… The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has announced a change in the district plan… Reducing the area for parks and communal land and increasing the area for housing… Goyang Changneung also has a proportion of small-sized apartments exceeding 60%… Will 'exclusive 59㎡' become the trend?
☞ Wealth concentrated in Gangnam, Seocho, Jongro and Yongsan… 70% of those with assets exceeding 1 billion won reside in the metropolitan area… Seoul (45.3%) has 209,000 people… Gyeonggi (22.1%) has 102,000 people… The concentration of wealth in Seongdong-gu also slightly decreased
《Society》
☞ “The number of medical school graduates should be increased to 4,000 by 2031… A study by the Department of Health Administration at Yonsei University found that there will be a shortage of up to 28,748 doctors next year… The study was published in the Journal of Social Security. “The undersupply of doctors could lead to higher medical costs and increased burdens on the public due to rising doctor salaries,” it pointed out.
☞ "If I lose my job, I won't last long…" Four out of ten salaried workers fear being laid off next year… A survey of 119 salaried workers by the Korea Economic Research Institute found that 60% felt that social security was insufficient due to political instability.
☞ Malbon, Louis Vuitton, Moncler… 4,794 counterfeit goods seized at the New Market this year… A joint crackdown by the Patent Office and Seoul City six times… 18 suspects were indicted… The level of punishment was low, with even those who committed offenses 11 times being considered suspects.
☞ Announcement prohibiting the transfer of students from early admission to regular admission… Adjustments will not be possible after each university announces its results… Completion of additional recruitment for early admission… Last year, there were 33 transferred students from medical schools nationwide during early admission… The Ministry of Education said, “Even a slight adjustment is difficult,” while the medical community continues to demand a halt to recruitment.
☞ A man in his 40s with AIDS engaged in sexual exploitation of multiple minors… Gwangju 'Balck'… He was already indicted and detained for sexually exploiting a middle school girl… He lured victims through chat apps… Police identified four to five additional female victims who are minors… The case will be sent to the prosecution.
《International》
☞ The US averted a 'shutdown' but… Trump's Republican grip exposed its limits… Trump's 'threat' led to the shutdown deadline being passed… “Trump will face the debt ceiling issue throughout his term.”
☞ Merging or downsizing… The automotive industry responds differently to China's rise and Trump's uncertainty… Nissan and Honda mergers are not expected to be significant… Volkswagen will reduce costs for efficiency… Hyundai Motor Group will accelerate its transition to electrification… It will respond with a combination of SW and other technologies.
☞ China sells 40 stealth fighter jets, J-35s, to Pakistan…"First export of fifth-generation fighters"… "Pakistan secures superiority over India without stealth capabilities"… China establishes a foothold in the export market.
☞ The Syrian civil war has ended, but peace in the Middle East feels distant… Rebel advances are relentless, while Russia, Iran and Hezbollah appear powerless… Turkey and Israel are expanding their influence… Tensions escalate around Syria.
☞ "Rebuilding the collapsed Syrian economy requires lifting Western sanctions"… The energy industry has collapsed, leaving the economy in ruins… Oil production has plummeted to a quarter of its pre-war levels after 14 years of civil war…"Control of oil fields held by Kurdish militias must be returned to the Syrian government"… "The return of highly educated and wealthy refugees is also crucial"… Expectations for Turkey's 'Syrian special'.
