Retirement and pension funds may be allowed to engage in ETF to nurture long-term investmentKorea’s financial regulators plan to nurture the fledgling ETF market by allowing pension and retirement funds to engage in the investment vehicle in question as part of efforts to encourage long-term investment practices. The country’s financial regulators led by the Financial Services Commission are reviewing options aimed at giving an impetus to the ETF market starting from early next year. ETF, or exc

The amount of money borrowed by self-employed entrepreneurs accounted for 33.9 percent of all loans taken out by small and medium enterprises, data showed Sunday, raising worries it may weigh on government efforts to curb private sector debt.Korean lenders extended loans worth 157.9 trillion won ($137.4 billion) to self-employed business-people as of the end of November, from a total of all SME loans that reached 465.2 trillion won, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service.Th

Korea is girding itself for a series of external uncertainties surrounding its economy that are expected to reach their peak in the first quarter of next year, officials said Sunday.Amid a global economic slowdown, the bulk of sovereign debts issued by five highly indebted eurozone countries will mature during the January-March period, the most serious risk factor that could rattle financial markets across the globe.Washington’s additional sanctions on Iran for the latter’s suspected nuclear arm

South Korean stocks will likely continue to gain ground this week as improving U.S. economic indicators are expected to bolster investor sentiment, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark KOSPI rose about 1.5 percent last week to close at 1,867.22 on Friday. The rise came despite a plunge on Monday caused by news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.Investors were spooked by heightened geopolitical risks, but soon turned their focus more to economic news coming from the U.S. and Europe.S

Major Korean companies are forecast to cut their hiring of new employees only slightly next year despite increasing economic uncertainties and a possible slowdown, a poll showed Sunday.According to the survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 262 companies plan to hire a combined 28,412 people in 2012, down a mere 1.3 percent, or 365, from this year.The survey covered the country’s top 500 companies by sales, of which 325 responded, the KCCI said.“Despite all the negative economic f

Investors may demand bigger payments next year for losses from eurozone debt crisisForeign investors are expected to reap more than 9 trillion won ($8 billion) in dividends on the South Korean bourse this year, data showed Sunday. In contrast, Korean investors are likely to see their dividend income from foreign firms standing at less than 4 trillion won, illustrating the widening gap that raises the issue of lopsided dividend payout involving foreign investors. According to the Bank of Korea, o

STOCKHOLM (DPA) ― Volvo is planning to extend its model line-up with a V60 Plug-in-Hybrid that will be available as a limited edition late next year, according to the manufacturer.The Pure Limited Version, with a production run of 1,000 units,will be available in Europe starting at 57,000 euros ($74,300), some 5,000 euros higher than for the basic diesel version.Among the standard features are the paint work in “electric silver”with high-gloss black elements, aero dynamically formed 17-inch allo

 

 

Apple Inc. is unlikely to win a ban on sales of Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy 10.1N tablet computer, a modified version introduced after sales of the original tablet were blocked, a German court said.The Dusseldorf court that banned sales of the Galaxy 10.1 on Sept. 9 is unlikely to grant Apple an injunction against the Galaxy 10.1N, presiding judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann said at a hearing Thursday. Samsung has changed the device’s design sufficiently to distance it from the iPad, she said

Hanjin Shipping said Friday it sold off its entire stake in Hanjin Group’s de facto holding company Jungseok Enterprise Ltd., raising speculation over the shipping firm’s possible separation from the conglomerate.Hanjin Shipping has been selling its shares in major affiliates of Hanjin Group such as Hanjin Travel, which holds a 22.26-percent stake in Jungseok Enterprise.After selling a 14-percent stake in Hanjin Travel for 12 billion won earlier this month, Hanjin Shipping sold a 2.22-percent st