South Korea consumer inflation rose 2.2% in January, above market expectations

The Seoul skyline.

Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty Images

South Korea’s consumer inflation quickened to a six-month high in January, government data showed on Wednesday, coming in higher than market expectations on pressure from a weak local currency.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.2% from a year earlier, after climbing 1.9% in the previous month, according to Statistics Korea. That compared with a median 1.97% increase forecast in a Reuters poll.

Inflation accelerated for the fourth straight month and marked the fastest since July 2024. It was also higher than the central bank’s medium-term target of 2%.

Last month, the Bank of Korea unexpectedly kept its policy interest rate unchanged, after two straight meetings of rate cuts, signaling that it needed to wait for the domestic political turmoil weighing on the currency to stabilize before it could make further cuts.

Source

World

Asia-Pacific markets poised for cautious open as investors assess gains on Wall Street and Trump’s tariff plans

July 1, 2025

Shanghai Bund skyline panorama Yangna | E+ | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets are set to have a cautious open Tuesday, with investors assessing the record gains on Wall Street and the global impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies as his 90-day tariff reprieve is set to expire next week. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said […]

World

NATO members just committed to hike defense spending – and these companies could reap the rewards

June 30, 2025

With NATO members committing to a much higher defense spending target, certain companies are expected to see huge boosts to their bottom lines – particularly those headquartered in Europe. NATO announced at its annual summit last week that its members had agreed to drastically ramp up defense spending, with the majority of its 32 member […]

World

Stock futures tick lower after S&P 500 notches new record to cap winning second quarter: Live updates

June 30, 2025

Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 25, 2025. NYSE U.S. equity futures were slightly lower on Monday night after the S&P 500 notched another record to close out a stunning month and quarter. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 53 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.1%, […]