Time now for an in-depth look at the market news this afternoon.
And for that, I'm joined on the line by Dr. Kim Sei-wan, Professor of Economics at Ewha
Womans University.
Professor Kim, good afternoon.
Thank you for coming on today.
Thank you.
Professor, data show growth in the Chinese economy slowing down to 4 percent in the last
quarter of last year.
In the U.S. we have monetary tightening going on, and in fact accelerating.
If that's the case, and China's economy is slowing down, what impact do you see on the
Korean economy?
The U.S. markets reopened on Tuesday, and were down sharply as investors watched Treasury
yields rise.
The Dow was off 1-and-a-half percent, the S&P by more, and the Nasdaq with its tech
shares by 2-point-6 percent.
What's the story in the global markets?
Stocks were down here in Korea today too, but not by as much as Wall Street.
A sizeable hit to shares of Naver, Kakao, and in particular LG Chem, which has seen
some big moves since the new year, up and down.
Tell us about the domestic market.
With market rates rising, the average variable rate on a mortgage loan in Korea
is up 14 basis points, according to the benchmark rate called Cofix.
That'll mean bigger payments for people, and at least for some, that could be a problem.
What do you see happening as mortgage
rates rise?
Last year, globally, sales of semiconductors passed half a trillion dollars.
Grow this year, some are calling for 10 percent or more, so that could put the market at 600
billion.
What's behind this strong growth in chips and what's
your outlook?