Odaily Planet Daily News The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Korea stated on the 28th that it will continue to maintain a stance on interest rate hikes in the future, comprehensively considering inflation and financial stability factors. The Bank of Korea previously announced its first interest rate hike in three and a half years. The committee explained the background of this rate hike, stating: “As economic growth strengthens driven by exports and investment, inflation is expected to remain above target levels for a considerable period, and risks to financial stability also persist.” The committee predicted that “supported by a strong semiconductor cycle, exports and investment will continue to maintain high growth. As improving income conditions drive the recovery and expansion of consumption, the economy is expected to maintain solid growth. This year’s economic growth rate is expected to be significantly higher than the May forecast of 2.6%.”

Regarding prices, the committee predicted that inflation will remain high for a considerable period. The committee also assessed that the volatility of the Korean won against the US dollar has increased, and the simultaneous increase in housing-related loans and other loans has led to a significant rise in household loans. The upward trend in housing prices in the Seoul metropolitan area has also further expanded. Considering the above factors, the committee stated, “It is currently judged necessary to continue maintaining a stance on monetary policy interest rate hikes.” (Jin Shi)

Odaily Planet Daily News The South Korean domestic stock market has experienced sharp fluctuations over the past nine trading days, with cumulative valuation losses on single-stock leveraged ETFs, which have a high proportion of retail investors, exceeding 8.8 trillion won. According to data released on the 15th by FnGuide Quantwise and Mirae Asset Securities, four single-stock leveraged ETFs tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, issued by Mirae Asset Global Investments and Samsung Asset Management, recorded cumulative valuation losses of 8.8337 trillion won between July 1 and July 13.

During the same period, the assets under management (AUM) of these ETFs shrank by 37.7%, from 14.3518 trillion won to 8.9389 trillion won. For all 14 single-stock leveraged ETFs listed in South Korea tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the total AUM also fell by 41.4%, from 15.9349 trillion won at the end of June to 9.3386 trillion won on July 13. Among these, the AUM of Samsung Electronics leveraged ETFs decreased by 35.3%, and that of SK Hynix leveraged ETFs decreased by 44.9%.

According to data from the Korea Capital Market Institute, as of June 19, individual investors had net purchased 8.2 trillion won worth of single-stock leveraged ETFs, accounting for approximately 60% of the related ETF AUM. This suggests that a significant portion of the recent losses is likely concentrated among retail investors. (Jin Shi)

Odaily 星球日報訊 據 MSX.COM 數據，SK Hynix 股價下跌 12%。

Odaily Planet Daily News According to MSX.COM data, South Korea's KOSPI index plunged 7% intraday and is now at 6774.06 points.

Odaily星球日報訊 韓國央行將利率上調25個基點至2.75%，為2023年1月以來首次加息，符合市場預期。（金十）