[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI closed higher at 2,040.43, up 12.82 points (0.63%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 18.

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean prosecutors are going to indict Lotte Group’s Chairman Shin Dong-bin and his father Shin Kyuk-ho on OCT. 19. Prosecutors have accused the Chairman Shin of orchestrating a series of shady deals at the group‘s affiliates, as well as giving large stipends to the owner’s family for just being listed as board members of the conglomerate‘s Korean and Japanese branches. (theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor Group will work to expand its presence in the Chinese market with its overall production capacity there expected to reach 2.7 million vehicles per year in 2018, the automaker said on Oct. 18.The plan was announced at a ceremony, marking the construction of a new production facility in Cangzhou, Hubei province.“As a symbol of economic cooperation between South Korea and China, Beijing Hyundai breached the 8 million mark in production in August, and with the opening of

[THE INVESTOR]  Hankook Tire opened a new research and development center in central South Korea on Oct. 18 in its latest move to strengthen its technological prowess, company officials said.The tire maker said the Hankook Technodome, in the central city of Daejeon, will act as a core instrument of its global R&D infrastructure. Currently, it runs R&D centers in the United States, China, Germany and Japan.The US$235 million center -- which stands on a massive floor space of 1 million square feet

As heightened uncertainties towards global monetary policy have led to rising bond yields in major economies, foreigners have resumed net selling in the Korean futures bond market. However, noting their steady net buying in the spot market, we believe it is unnecessary to be concerned about possible foreign capital defection from the Korean bond market at this juncture. ▶Foreign investors’ bond investment trendsBalance: Last week (Oct 10~14), around W1tn worth of foreign-held won-denominated bon

■ USD-KRW climbs as KRW depreciates along with other Asian currenciesThe USD-KRW rate opened October 17 at KRW1,140.2, up KRW8.1 from the previous close, reflecting upward pressure on the USD in global markets after the release of solid U.S. economic indicators. The USD-CNY rate rose to CNY6.7379, the highest level since 2010, as the People’s Bank of China devalued the CNY further. The KRW lost strength in sync with most Asian currencies. The USD-KRW rate climbed further to KRW1,143 during tradi

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI opened higher at 2,027.81, up 0.20 points (0.01%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 18.

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ opened higher at 660.58, up 0.75 points(0.11%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 18.

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ closed lower at 659.83, down 5.09 points(0.77%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 17.

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI closed higher at 2,027.61, up 4.95 points (0.24%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 17.

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics' unprecedented global recall and halt in production of its Galaxy Note 7 may cause changes in the shipments of major smartphone brands, but the discontinuation of Note 7 sales will not affect the upward price trends for key smartphone components, a report said on Oct. 17.According to the report compiled by market researcher TrendForce, Samsung has produced about 4 million Note 7s since its sales earlier this year. The original production volume forecast of the

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean conglomerate CJ Group said on Oct. 17 it will host a PGA Tour event in October next year.It will be the first regular PGA Tour competition to be held in South Korea. The country has previously held events sanctioned by the PGA Tour, including last year‘s Presidents Cup, but never a tour event. The CJ event will be part of the 2017-2018 PGA Tour season.The official signing ceremony between CJ and the PGA Tour will be held in Seoul on Monday, and further details, includ

[THE INVESTOR] Foreign currency deposits held by banks in South Korea dropped from a month earlier in September, central bank data showed on Oct. 17.Outstanding foreign currency deposits held by local residents came to US$66.5 billion as of end-September, down US$840 million from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.Foreign deposits include those held by foreigners who have stayed in South Korea for more than six months, as well as foreign companies here.The on-month

■ USD-KRW down for the first time in 4 trading days on exporters’ USD selling and easing concerns over Chinese economyThe USD-KRW rate opened October 14 at KRW1,131.0, down KRW4.9 from the previous close. The USD weakened as concerns over China’s economic slowdown triggered the previous day eased. China reported in the morning that producer prices declined at a slower pace and core consumer prices increased further. The USD-KRW rate continued to receive downward pressure on hopes for China’s sol

[THE INVESTOR] Apartment prices in Seoul and other major cities have shot up over the past two years in the wake of the record-low key rate set by the central bank and the reconstruction boom.The situation is totally opposite to four to five years ago when the construction sector suffered from a mass of unsold apartments after the 2008-2009 financial crisis, which caused the insolvency of some small- and mid-sized builders.The sluggish construction industry was a fast-track opportunity for the g

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI opened higher at 2,028.93, up 6.27 points (0.31%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 17.

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ opened higher at 666.26, up 1.34 points(0.20%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 17.

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s exports to Vietnam rose 200 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to the Korea International Trade Association.The amount of exports to Vietnam tripled from $9.7 billion (10.9 trillion won) in 2010 to $27.8 billion last year, KITA data showed.During the cited period, exports to the US also steadily rose on increased demand.Meanwhile, exports to China are on the decline, totaling $69.4 million between January and August, after posting 137.1 billion won in 2015. China’s s

[THE INVESTOR] The International Project Management Association officially accepted Korea as its 65th member at a conference in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, the association said. “IPMA Korea will work to put together project management models tailored to boost the global competitiveness of Korean businesses,” said Cho Won-dong, president of IPMA Korea.IPMA is an international association composed of 63 countries, and aims to develop high-value sustainable projects.IPMA Korea will also put in all e

[THE INVESTOR] Among the 109 listed firms that earned more than 1 trillion won ($880,000) in the first half of this year, 54 companies have downsized their workforces, a local corporate research firm said Sunday.A total of 5,284 workers were let go from 54 firms between January and June this year, compared to a year ago, according to data by Chaebul.com.Korea’s biggest conglomerate Samsung Group shed the highest number of employees.Battery provider Samsung SDI, for instance, last year announced