South Korea's central bank chief Friday said local households need to adjust themselves to higher interest trends, following the first rate hike in more than six years.The Bank of Korea raised the base rate by a quarter percentage point to 1.5 percent Thursday for the first time since June 2011, citing clear signs of economic recovery and low inflation pressure.Mounting household debt, which surpassed 1,400 trillion won ($1.29 trillion) in September, was also a big mover."Maintaining low ra

South Korean lenders' mortgage rates inched down Friday despite the central bank's first rate increase in more than six years, a market source said.In a monthly policy meeting, the Bank of Korea on Thursday raised the so-called base rate by a quarter percentage point to 1.5 percent amid clear signs of an economic recovery, snapping the 16-month streak of its wait-and-see stance after the last rate cut made in June last year.An increase in the benchmark interest rate usually prompts commercial le

South Korea's on-quarter economic growth in the July-September period was the fastest in nearly seven years on brisk manufacturing and construction, central bank data showed Friday.The country's gross domestic product expanded 1.5 percent in the third quarter from the previous three months, up 0.1 percentage point from earlier estimates, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.The on-quarter growth accelerated from a 0.6 percent quarterly expansion three months earlier and marke

South Korea's exports rose 9.6 percent in November from a year earlier to mark the 13th consecutive monthly gain, fueled by strong demand for memory chips and machinery, government data showed Friday.Outbound shipments came to $49.67 billion for November, up from $45.3 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Customs Service.The total value of exports in the first 11 months of this year hit a record high of $528.4 billion.Expo

South Korea’s industrial output dropped in October from the previous month, ending three consecutive months of a rise mainly due to a slump in the auto industry, data by Statistics Korea showed Thursday.Compared to the previous year, industrial output also dipped 5.9 percent as of last month.Production of vehicles dipped 11.3 percent last month from September.Production dropped 1.1 percent on-month in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries, while the service sector also

Field trips for Samsung Securities’ private banking managers, arranged by the fourth-largest securities firm in net worth in South Korea, have been the key to the PB managers’ deeper understanding of foreign investment destinations and their cultivation of investment opportunities, the firm said Thursday.The program dubbed “Samsung Securities Global Frontier” has made it easier for its private banking managers to get up-to-date issues in their investment destinations, it

Australian institutional asset manager IFM Investors announced Thursday it would open an office in Seoul to expand its client base in South Korea. The Melbourne-based company, which focuses on infrastructure equities and debts, will sell offshore long-term investment portfolios to institutional investors here. The Seoul office will be run by its in-house analyst Glenn Morey, Client Relationship Director Lee Ki-jeong and senior external adviser Hur Kyung-wook. The portfolios by IFM Investors

Acquiring an office space for a fledgling startup is a grueling, if not impossible, task. Hence on the rise were co-working spaces that are shared and utilized by numerous freelancers, independent contractors and other professionals.Add to that a sense-stirring interior design, 3-D printers ready to use, recreational spaces, regular networking events and even shower booths, and the result is a hybrid version of co-working spaces operated by Hyundai Card.“Every piece of tableware,

Central bank raises policy rate citing sound growth, vows to refrain from drastic actions

Insider stock ownership of family-run conglomerates, such as Samsung and Hyundai Motor, jumped sharply this year to 58.9 percent, the country's antitrust watchdog said Thursday.According to the Fair Trade Commission, the insider stock ownership rate of the 57 conglomerates rose 29 percentage points this year from last year's 29.9 percent.Insider stock ownership refers to stocks held by the owner and his or her immediate family and top executives of companies affiliated with a business group. Thi

The Bank of Korea forecast Thursday that Asia's fourth-largest economy will likely expand at a faster pace than its earlier growth target of 3 percent this year on a modest upturn in global trade and domestic demand."The near-term growth rate is likely to be slightly higher than that forecast in October, supported by sustained trends of moderate improvements in both consumption and facilities investment, while exports also picked up, fueled by the global economic recovery," the central

South Korea will hold a second public hearing on the free trade agreement with the United States, the trade ministry said Thursday, after the first gathering was disrupted by angry farmers and livestock breeders.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will host the public hearing on Friday at the Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul. Policymakers, trade experts and citizens will take part in the talks to discuss issues related to the five-year-old deal.  The ministry last w

South Korea's central bank on Thursday raised the key rate by a quarter percentage point for the first time in more than six years amid clear signs of an economic recovery.In a widely expected move, the monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea voted to increase the base rate to 1.5 percent from a record low of 1.25 percent, ending 16 straight months of its wait-and-see stance after the last rate cut made in June last year.It also marked the BOK's first monetary tightening action since June 201

South Korea's credit default risk has gone south despite North Korea's latest launch of a new long-range ballistic missile, market sources said Thursday.The credit default swap premium for South Korean foreign exchange stabilization bonds with a five-year maturity came to 57.09 basis points Wednesday, down 1.02 basis points from the previous session, according to financial information provider Market and Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency.The risk premium also declined

South Korean funds for overseas stock investment posted higher returns than domestic-focused ones in November due to a sluggish equity market here, a market tracker said Thursday.The average return of overseas stock funds with a net asset of 1 billion won ($930,000) or more came to 1.62 percent as of Tuesday, compared with a yield of 0.79 percent for domestic equity funds, according to KG Zeroin.The figures mark a turnaround from their yields the previous month. Domestic stock investment funds p