my timesThe Korea Times

Economy

PolicyCryptocurrencyOthers
  • Economy

    Which Korean stocks offer highest dividend yields this year?

    High-dividend stocks are drawing renewed attention as Korea enters the year-end payout season with the KOSPI confined to a narrow range, analysts said Sunday. According to financial data provider FnGuide, Korea District Heating Corp. is expected to offer the highest dividend yield this year among listed companies covered by at least three brokerages. The company is projected to pay 6,520 won ($4.69) per share this year, up 363 won from 6,157 won a year earlier, translating into an estimated dividend yield of 8.69 percent. Dividend yield is calculated by dividing the dividend per share by the share price. AJ Networks, a rental service group, ranked next, with an estimated dividend of 343 won per share and a dividend yield of 8.33 percent. Brokerage stocks also featured prominently, buoyed by a strong first-half market rally and a sharp improvement in earnings. NH Investment & Securities is expected to pay a dividend of 2,031 won per share, up 731 won from a year earlier, giving a dividend yield of 7.99 percent. Samsung Securities is forecast to raise its dividend by 2,867 won to 6,867 won p

    2 MIN READBy Lee Yeon-woo
    Which Korean stocks offer highest dividend yields this year?
  • Cryptocurrency

    Korea Investors Service prepares to rate credit in digital finance

    2 MIN READBy Lee Yeon-woo
    Korea Investors Service prepares to rate credit in digital finance
  • Policy

    BOK launches pilot program for 24-hour offshore won settlement

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    BOK launches pilot program for 24-hour offshore won settlement
  • Economy

    Korea's trade reliance up in 2024: BOK data

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea's trade reliance up in 2024: BOK data
  • Economy

    Seoul stocks up 1.5% late Monday morning as chipmakers advance

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Seoul stocks up 1.5% late Monday morning as chipmakers advance
Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Read more

Economy

Banks' household mortgage lending rates rise to 2 years 7 months high in June

Banks' household mortgage loan rates rose for the second consecutive month to the highest point in two years and seven months in June on rising market interest, central bank data showed Tuesday. The average interest rate on new bank loans stood at 4.31 percent last month, up 0.12 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The average rate on corporate loans added 0.14 percentage point to 4.27 percent, while the rate on new household loans rose 0.04 percentage point to 4.5 percent. The average rate on household mortgage loans increased 0.04 percentage point to 4.36 percent in June, marking the highest level since November 2023, when the rate averaged 4.48 percent. The average rate on non-mortgage household loans stood at 5.72 percent, up 0.23 percentage point from a month earlier. The BOK said retail lending rates have been rising in recent months as market interest rates increased. Earlier this month, the central bank delivered the first rate hike in 3 1/2 years, raising the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent.

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Banks' household mortgage lending rates rise to 2 years 7 months high in June
Economy

Chief financial regulator vows additional measures to curb demand for leveraged ETFs

The chief financial regulator said Tuesday it will consider additional measures to dampen demand for recently introduced single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which have been blamed for heightened volatility in the stock market. At a meeting with local brokerages and asset management firms, Lee Eog-weon, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said he will assess the impact of a new policy under which the minimum cash deposit required to invest in single-stock leveraged ETFs will be raised to 30 million won ($20,400), effective Friday. The government moved up the implementation of the deposit requirement by several weeks to help stabilize the market and protect investors amid heightened market volatility. President Lee Jae Myung has called for the swift implementation of such measures to calm the market. "We will also review and prepare additional measures in advance in case demand does not subside sufficiently," Lee said. As one possible option, he proposed a total volume management measure that would cap investment in such ETFs at 20 percent or less of an ind

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Chief financial regulator vows additional measures to curb demand for leveraged ETFs
Economy

Bourse operator issues circuit breaker for KOSPI on sharp fall

Korea's bourse operator on Tuesday activated a circuit breaker for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) on a sell-off in tech shares. Trading of KOSPI-listed shares was halted for 20 minutes. The Korea Exchange (KRX) triggered the marketwide circuit breaker at around 10:14 a.m. after the KOSPI plunged more than 8 percent from the previous session's close. The benchmark index came under heavy selling pressure as investors sold off semiconductor shares on skepticism about tech giants' heavy spending on artificial intelligence (AI). It marked the seventh time this year that the KRX has activated a circuit breaker.

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Bourse operator issues circuit breaker for KOSPI on sharp fall
Economy

Seoul shares sharply down late Tues. morning on tech slump

Korean stocks plummeted more than 8 percent late Tuesday morning as investors dumped tech shares amid heightened fears over artificial intelligence (AI) investment. After opening 5.26 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended losses, falling 580.04 points, or 8.59 percent, to 6,175.71 as of 11:20 a.m. The Korea Exchange (KRX) triggered the marketwide circuit breaker at 10:14 a.m. after the KOSPI plunged more than 8 percent from the previous session's close. Market sentiment was dragged down by an overnight selloff on Wall Street as investors remained skeptical about tech giants' heavy spending on artificial intelligence (AI). The PHLX chip index, a gauge of U.S. semiconductor giants, extended its recent selloff, falling 2.2 percent. In Seoul, most shares traded in negative territory. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics plunged 9.84 percent, and SK hynix dived 11.67 percent. Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic component affiliate of Samsung Electronics, plummeted 15.47 percent, and LG Electronics sank 7.43 percent. Internet giant Naver fell 4 perc

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul shares sharply down late Tues. morning on tech slump
Economy

KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp decline

Korea's bourse operator on Tuesday activated a sell-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) after the index fell sharply, led by losses in tech heavyweights. Program trading in KOSPI-listed shares was suspended for five minutes around 9:06 a.m., according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). The KOSPI fell by more than 5.69 percent as of 9:08 a.m. The decline came as investors sold off semiconductor shares amid rising fears over excessive artificial intelligence (AI) investment. A sell-side sidecar is triggered when the KOSPI 200 Futures Index falls 5 percent or more for at least one minute.

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp decline
Policy

Gov't to announce measures to create more jobs for youth in Q3

Korea will come up with measures to create more jobs for young people in the third quarter amid challenges in the labor market caused by economic uncertainties, the finance ministry said Tuesday. First Vice Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il chaired a meeting on job creation with relevant ministries, sharing the consensus on the need to focus on vulnerable areas, including young people and the manufacturing sector. The move came as Korea added 63,000 jobs in June from a year earlier, rebounding from a decrease of 40,000 in May, while the employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 fell 1.7 percentage points to 43.9 percent. Jobs in the manufacturing sector declined from a year earlier for the 24th consecutive month in June. "It is necessary to implement tailored measures for vulnerable areas, such as job creation for young people and the manufacturing sector, in order to maintain the upward trend reported in June amid prolonged uncertainties, including tensions in the Middle East," the finance ministry said. The finance ministry added the government is currently preparing a comprehensive package

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't to announce measures to create more jobs for youth in Q3
Economy

Consumer sentiment rises for 3rd month in July on strong exports, investment plans

Consumer sentiment rose for the third consecutive month in July on strong exports and large-scale investment plans, the central bank said Tuesday. The composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) stood at 106.8 this month, up 0.2 points from June, according to a survey by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index has risen for three straight months since May and stayed over the 100-point mark over the three-month period. A reading above 100 indicates that optimists outnumber pessimists, while a figure below 100 suggests the opposite. The subindex for people's assessment of current economic conditions came in at 84 in July, down 2 points from a month earlier. The index for people's outlook for future economic conditions remained unchanged at 92 over the same period. "Despite rising inflation and the volatile stock market, strong chip-led exports, large-scale investment plans and expectations for income hikes pushed up consumer sentiment for the third consecutive month," the BOK said. South Korea's consumer prices rose 3.2 percent in June from a year earlier, marking the steepest growth since December

Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Consumer sentiment rises for 3rd month in July on strong exports, investment plans
Economy

InterviewSenior living: Next frontier in Korea's silver economy

Korea’s population is aging faster than almost anywhere else in the developed world. More than 1 in 5 — around 11.25 million people — are now aged 65 or older, a demographic shift that is expected to propel the country’s silver economy from 72 trillion won in 2020 to 168 trillion won by 2030. Yet one corner of that economy remains strikingly underdeveloped: senior living. Unlike nursing homes, which are designed primarily around long-term clinical care, senior living communities combine housing with hospitality, wellness and social engagement. “Residents are customers choosing a lifestyle rather than patients receiving care,” said Josh Rose-Nokes, head of Asia Pacific living research at Cushman & Wakefield. While countries like Australia and Japan have built more mature senior living sectors supported by experienced operators and deep pools of institutional capital, Korea is still in the early stages of developing the asset class. “On penetration, independent senior housing and retirement living provision in Korea sit at a fraction of 1 percent of the older population, again

Jul 28, 2026By Park Han-sol
Senior living: Next frontier in Korea's silver economy
Economy

KOSPI ends slightly higher after intraday swings

Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed nearly 1 percent higher Monday after a choppy session, as semiconductor stocks remained volatile following the Shanghai debut of China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). KOSPI ended at 6,755.75, up 0.97 percent from the previous session, according to the Korean Exchange. The index opened at 6,806.27 before falling to as low as 6,557.39 during the session, but recovered in afternoon trading. Foreign investors were net sellers of 2.89 trillion won ($1.97 billion), while retail and institutional investors were net buyers of 1.98 trillion won and 862.4 billion won, respectively. Market bellwethers ended higher, with Samsung Electronics rising 1.8 percent to 254,000 won and SK hynix gaining 3.41 percent to 1.816 million won. Notably, shares of Naver surged 8.43 percent to close at 225,000 won after Nvidia announced earlier in the day that it would acquire a 4.5 percent stake in the company through a $1 billion strategic investment. Investors welcomed a $950 billion Korea-U.S. artificial intelligence (AI)-related partnership announced on Saturday during Presid

Jul 27, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
KOSPI ends slightly higher after intraday swings
Economy

Hana Securities, Futu open Korean stock market access to foreign investors

Hana Securities said Monday that it has launched trading through omnibus accounts in partnership with Hong Kong-based global financial platform Futu Securities. An omnibus account allows nonresident foreign investors to place and settle orders for Korean stocks through a local brokerage without having to open a separate account in Korea. The system is expected to improve trading convenience for overseas investors and broaden the potential base for capital inflows into the Korean stock market. The launch marks Hana Securities' first omnibus account service offered through a mobile investment platform. After hosting an investment forum for 30 Futu Securities VIP clients in May, Hana Securities began a pilot program in June for customers who had applied in advance. The service was expanded to all customers last Friday. Futu Securities operates the mobile investment platforms Futubull and Moomoo. It has operations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. As of last year, it had about 3.37 million active accounts, approximately 246 trillion won

Jul 27, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Hana Securities, Futu open Korean stock market access to foreign investors
previous page
3031323334
next page

Most Read in Economy