Hello, this is Damongang Nuntingler.
It's been a while since I greeted you.
I'd like to share some interesting indicators that have recently been released.
This is the '3/4 Quarter Item-wise Export Industry Business Outlook Index (EBSI)' announced by the Korea International Trade Association.
For reference, EBSI is an index that quantifies the export business climate for each industry by conducting a survey of about 2,000 member companies with annual export sales of more than $500,000. As mentioned in the image description below, this index is generally considered to be 'booming' when it exceeds 110.
The item I paid the most attention to in this table is 'semiconductors'.
The semiconductor index for the third quarter of this year (2026) was 142.6, indicating that the export market remains good. However, compared to the previous second quarter, which recorded 'very booming' (191.4), it can be seen that the figure has dropped significantly.
The second image is data compiled based on Customs Service data.
I compared the total export amount and growth rate of semiconductors for January to May of last year (2025) and this year (2026), as well as the closing price of Samsung Electronics at the end of May for each year.
Although Samsung Electronics handles various export items, its core driver of current performance is undoubtedly semiconductors.
The semiconductor export amount this year increased by a whopping 157% compared to the same period last year, and the share price of Samsung Electronics also showed an astonishing increase rate of 464%.
Incidentally, I learned that the interest rate on regular deposits at my savings bank, which I have been using for a long time, increased by 0.6%p compared to last April and is currently recording 3.9%.
This is just a brief opinion from Chief Jang Ju-rin, but perhaps now is the time to be cautious and prepare for future interest rate hikes and market volatility.
