00:02You're listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
00:30The Bank of Korea is expected to raise rates again, back to back.
00:33That's four data points that foreign capital needs to price right now.
00:37It's Tuesday, August 25th.
00:39Here's why global investors are paying attention to Korea today.
00:43From July 1st to August 21st, the one appreciated 11.9% against the dollar, steepest of any currency
00:51tracked by the Bank of Korea, nearly five times the yen's 2.3%.
00:56Semiconductor exports drove the H12026 current account surplus to $191 billion.
01:04Corporates sold $263.6 billion in spot and forward dollar contracts in Q2, up 71.5% year-on-year.
01:13The Bank of Korea raised its rate from 2.50% to 2.75% last month, and 65%
01:21of economists expect
01:22another 25 basis point hike at Wednesday's Monetary Policy Committee meeting.
01:27Here's what the numbers show.
01:30Matter of fact, the one hit an intraday low of $1,376.5 per dollar on Monday, an 11-month
01:38low, as exporter dollar selling and offshore short positions compounded in the same session.
01:43A back-to-back hike would bring the BOK policy rate to 3.0%, widening Korea's rate differential
01:52versus the Fed, and sustaining carry pressure on USD to KRW.
01:56Taiwan approved a record 128 direct investment cases in Japan in 2025 as TSMC builds its second
02:07Kumamoto fab and plans a 1 trillion yen, approximately $6.9 billion, co-investment with Sony in next
02:15generation image sensors from 2029.
02:18Japan's government targets 68 trillion yen, approximately $471 billion, in combined public
02:26and private semiconductor investment through 2040, cementing Kyushu as the democratic world
02:32supply chain anchor.
02:33The global obesity drug market is projected at $97.8 billion by 2034 per ICVIO.
02:40Korean pharma is racing for the non-GLP1 segment, led by Hanmi Pharmaceuticals HM17321, licensed
02:50to Genentech.
02:51So what does this mean for global investors?
02:54Earlier, we said the one's 11.9% gain is number one globally.
02:59Here's what that actually means for you.
03:01Dollar-denominated Korea positions are absorbing a meaningful currency impact, direction depending
03:07on your hedge ratio, and the structural case for one appreciation into year-end remains
03:12intact.
03:13Short pause.
03:15August dividend repatriation flows may provide a near-term USD-KRW reset toward $1,400, creating
03:24a potential re-entry window.
03:26Watch three things.
03:27The BOK decision on Wednesday, August 27th, a 25 basis point hike to 3.0% and forward guidance
03:37on the tightening path.
03:39USD-KRW in the August 27th to 29th window as dividend repatriation demand adds temporary
03:46dollar bid pressure.
03:48And Kumamoto Science Park co-location announcements in Q4, TSMC's customer ecosystem decisions will
03:56reshape Asia Semiconductor Supply Chain positioning.
03:59That's today's AI Prism Global Investors.
04:03This episode was produced with AI assistance based on Seoul Economic Daily reporting and
04:08reviewed by a human editor.
04:10AI Prism is a Juan Ifra award-winning series.
04:13We'll be back tomorrow.
04:15You've been listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
04:18All right, let's take a look and see how ULTQ goes.
04:20Let's dive in.
04:20Why ULTQ?
04:21Child's question.
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