20260906 Domestic Economic Issues

🗂Won/Dollar Exchange Rate Settles Below 1,340 Won, Asian Currencies Maintain Strength Despite a surprise in US employment data, the domestic foreign exchange market attempted a relative won appreciation, with the won/dollar exchange rate entering the 1,340 won range during trading hours. With the shift towards a stronger won, there are growing expectations of benefits for related industries such as airlines and steel, as import cost burdens are anticipated to ease. 🗂Retail Investors Shift Away from Semiconductor Blue Chips, Flock to Leveraged Products Amidst high global interest rates and concerns over AI profitability validation, a trend has been observed where domestic retail investors are net selling major semiconductor stocks like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix ADRs, and redirecting funds towards leveraged ETFs targeting a market rebound. 🗂Revisiting the 'Missed Opportunity' in Monetary Policy Amidst Sustained Current Account Surplus Bolstered by strong semiconductor exports, South Korea's current account surplus is maintaining a robust trend this year. Following the Bank of Korea Monetary Policy Committee's surprise base rate hike (to 3.00%) in August, the rise in market lending rates and household debt monitoring continued over the weekend.