World's third-largest retirement fund banks on large-cap tech shares and foreign markets in bid to stave off fund exhaustion

Seoul stocks snapped their five-day winning streak Monday, weighed by losses in major tech shares ahead of the US central bank's rate-decision meeting and exports data from Asia's fourth-largest economy. The Korean won rose to the highest in nine months against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 33.55 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 2,450.47 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 460 million shares worth some 8.7 trillion won ($7.1 billi

South Korea's tax revenue rose 51.9 trillion won ($42 billion) in 2022 from a year earlier on the back of an increased collection of corporate income taxes, coupled with revitalized consumption, the finance ministry said Monday. The government collected 395.9 trillion won in taxes last year, up 15.1 percent from the 344.1 trillion won tallied in 2021, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In 2020, the tax revenue fell by 7.9 trillion won due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandem

South Korea's exports of passenger cars rose 15 percent on-year in 2022 to reach a record high, data showed Monday, on the back of robust shipments of eco-friendly models. Carmakers shipped passenger cars worth a combined $49 billion in 2022, up from $42.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. The number of cars shipped reached 2.31 million units, also rising 10.1 percent on-year, the agency added. South Korea's imports of passenge

Seoul stocks opened lower Monday, as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 10.32 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,473.7 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a weak start. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed up 0.95 percent Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 finishing up 0.08 percent and 0.25 percent, respectively. Signs of slowing US inflation hi

Bus, subway, taxi fares set to rise; electricity and gas rates likely to be raised further

Nation’s No. 3 financial group unveils this year's growth strategies

With the Korean government lifting the indoor mask mandate, major banks are to normalize their operating hours to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday. Major commercial banks, including KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank and NH NongHyup, are to normalize their operating hours from the current 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as the government has lifted the indoor mask mandate, one of the last remaining pandemic restrictions. Major savings banks have also joined the move. Ban

Seoul stocks extended their winning streak to a fifth day Friday, as foreign and institutional investors scooped up major tech shares. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 15.37 points, or 0.62 percent, to 2,484.02. Trading volume was moderate at 495.4 million shares worth 8.89 trillion won ($7.21 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 571 to 209. The Kospi opened higher following a tech rally on Wall Street. Foreign and institutional

Seoul stocks opened slightly higher Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.75 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,469.4 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The local stock market followed overnight advances on Wall Street, where stocks rose to the highest level in nearly eight weeks, as investors bet the US economy is performing better than expected. The S&P 500 added 1.1 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.61 percent,

South Korea’s air traffic rose 16 percent in 2022 from a year earlier on unleashed pent-up demand for travel amid eased COVID-19 virus curbs, the Transport Ministry said. Airlines, domestic and foreign, made a total of 539,788 flights over South Korea last year, up from 465,469 flights a year ago, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The ministry said the 2022 number of flights still stood at 65 percent of the pre-pandemic levels. Air traffic in the count

By Steve Brice As we start 2023, investors’ scars from last year’s sell-off across publicly traded markets are still very raw. Against this backdrop, the theme of our 2023 Outlook, Playing it SAFE, should resonate with investors. We believe sequencing your investments is going to be important in the coming year: Bonds are a good place to start, given some of the highest yields offered in a decade and our expectation that a recession is likely in the US and Europe in the first half of

Seoul stocks surged over 1 percent Thursday, as foreign investors scooped up market heavyweights in the run-up to the corporate earnings season. The Korean won advanced against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 40.08 points, or 1.65 percent, to 2,468.65. Trading volume was moderate at 476.2 million shares worth 8.1 trillion won ($6.58 billion), with gainers outpacing decliners 620 to 249. Foreigners and institutional investors were net buyers at a combined 1.

Seoul stocks opened slightly higher Thursday as investors brace for earnings reports from major companies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 7.26 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,435.83 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The local stock market opened higher despite lackluster trading on Wall Street overnight. The S&P 500 inched down 0.02 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.03 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed 0.18 percent lower than the previous ses

South Korea's inflation expectations inched up in January from a month earlier amid the Bank of Korea's continued monetary tightening to bring price growth under control, a central bank survey showed Thursday. Ordinary people predicted that consumer prices will grow 3.9 percent over the next one year, up 0.1 percentage point from what was surveyed the previous month, according to the poll conducted by the BOK early this month. It was the first on-month rise since November 2022. The fig