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  Korean markets price in Japan's rate hike to 30-year high, yen carry risk weighs SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Japan’s widely expected rate hike to 0.75 percent — the highest level in 30 years — delivered a mild upset to Korean markets, pressuring bond prices and the currency while lifting equities as investors positioned for a stronger yen environment. Although still low by global standards — compared with Korea’s 2.50 percent policy rate and the U.S. federal funds rate midpoint of about 3.6 percent — the Bank of Japan’ December 19, 2025
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  Asian markets in modest gains Friday ahead of BOJ rate decision SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Asian equity markets were moderately up early Friday as they await the rate decision from the Bank of Japan. In South Korea, the KOSPI was trading 0.4 percent up at 4,011 as of 10:30 a.m., retracing some of its earlier gains after rebounding 1 percent to track overnight Wall Street rise. Institutional investors led the buying with net purchases of 94 billion won, while retail investors added 33.8 billion won ($23 million). Conversely, foreign investor December 19, 2025
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  Tech slump drags Asian markets lower as investors eye BOJ SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Asian equity markets ended broadly lower on Thursday as fallout from an “Oracle shock” weighed on technology shares and investors stayed cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) interest rate decision. Most major benchmarks declined, though mainland China’s Shanghai Composite showed relative resilience, appearing largely insulated from weakness in U.S. technology stocks. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI fell 1.53 percent December 18, 2025
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  Seoul eases a set of FX liquidity rules to prop up the won SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) -The South Korean government has decided to broadly ease foreign-exchange stability rules for banks, exporters and foreign investors to improve FX supply and demand conditions in latest efforts to prop up the won hovering stubbornly at crisis-era levels without direct market intervention. The move was decided during another emergency meeting among the heads of the finance ministry, financial regulator, and the central bank Thursday morning after December 18, 2025
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  Asian markets subdued by Wall Street slide, BOJ rate anticipation SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Asian markets opened subdued on Thursday, taking cues from two key drivers — an overnight sell-off on Wall Street and anticipation ahead of the Bank of Japan’s rate decision. In New York, renewed concerns over an “AI bubble” resurfaced after a major financier reportedly withdrew from an Oracle-led AI data-center project. The gloom was partially offset by Micron Technology’s strong earnings and upbeat guidance, which sent its December 18, 2025
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  HOT STOCK: Ford's EV retreat delivers 10% blow to LG Energy Solution SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) -Shares of South Korea’s top battery maker LG Energy Solution have fallen more than 10 percent over the past week after Ford Motor announced it was withdrawing several electric-vehicle models amid changing market conditions. The move triggered the cancellation of a long-term battery supply agreement with LG Energy Solution valued at 9.6 trillion won ($6.5 billion). Shares of LG Energy Solution — the third-largest stock on the KOSPI by market ca December 18, 2025
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  Asian stocks edge higher ahead of BOJ rate decision SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - Asian equities closed modestly higher on Wednesday, with South Korean stocks rebounding as heavyweight chipmakers led gains, while investors across the region remained cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting later this week. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 1.4 percent to 4,056.41, recovering above the 4,000 mark after two consecutive sessions of losses. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ slipped 0.6 percent to 911.07. Samsung Electronics jumped December 17, 2025
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  USD-KRW tests 1,480 on capital outflows amid Japan rate-hike fears SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - The South Korean won fell past the 1,480 mark against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, defying a broadly weaker greenback as fears of capital outflows resurfaced on expectations of a rate hike by the Bank of Japan. The dollar index slipped 0.16 points to 97.79 following higher-than-expected U.S. jobless data. Yet the won weakened sharply, underscoring its vulnerability to shifts in global capital flows rather than dollar strength alone. Institutions came December 17, 2025
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  Asian markets mixed as investors weigh U.S. jobs data, await ECB and BOJ decisions SEOUL, December 17 (AJP) - Asian equity markets traded mixed in early Tuesday session, digesting overnight U.S. employment data while bracing for imminent rate decisions in Europe and Japan. In the United States, nonfarm payrolls rose more than expected, but the unemployment rate also came in higher than forecasts, adding uncertainty over the strength and trajectory of the U.S. economy. Investors are now focused on the European Central Bank’s policy decision on Thursday and December 17, 2025
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  Member-heavy KOSDAQ limps as KOSPI flies on thin venture financing SEOUL, December 16 (AJP) - There is a Korean saying that the younger is better than the elder. That adage hardly applies to the KOSDAQ, which has struggled to outperform its bigger sibling, the KOSPI, even with a steady stream of government stimulus measures. The “younger brother” showed a brief revival in the final two months of the year as foreign investors returned. Overseas investors bought a net 128.7 billion won ($93 million) worth of KOSDAQ shares as of last wee December 16, 2025