6 out of 10 Apartment Applicants Choose 'Sudogwon' [3-Minute Brief]

[At a Glance]
① New York Stock Exchange Closed on 'Martin Luther King Day'
② Coupang Faces Broad Scrutiny Over Monopoly Concerns
③ Viva Republica Begins IPO Process in Earnest

MARKET INDEX

- KOSPI 'slightly rebounded' after 9 trading days on the previous day
- U.S. New York Stock Exchange closed on the 15th (local time)
- Due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day

TOP3 NEWS

■ 6 out of 10 people applied for housing in the Seoul Metropolitan Area last year

- Last year, nationwide housing subscription applications totaled 1.13 million... 660,000 in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
- Preference for the Seoul Metropolitan Area due to expected capital gains rather than unsold properties piling up in local areas
- "Preference for housing subscriptions centered on the Seoul Metropolitan Area expected to continue this year"

■ Coupang in a tight spot... Regulatory pressure domestically, stock price plunge in the U.S.

- Coupang, a 'strong player' in retail... faces comprehensive checks due to monopoly concerns
- Listed on the U.S. New York Stock Exchange but faced lawsuits due to stock price plunge
- Accumulated losses exceed 6 trillion KRW... diversifying business to improve profitability

■ "Economic recession" vs "Fiscal soundness"... U.S. high interest rates 'different dreams'

- U.S. banks say "customers are financially sound" despite high interest rates
- Meanwhile, individual customers feel "the economy is difficult"
- Due to reduced government support and increased spending from high interest rates

the Chart : Toss's IPO... Investors worry about 'Kakao learning effect'

- Toss aims to become a decacorn with a corporate value over 10 trillion KRW, beyond a unicorn
- The biggest obstacle to Toss's listing is the overvaluation controversy of Kakao Pay and Kakao Bank
- "No expectation that Toss's corporate value will surpass Kakao's due to similar profit structures"

Money-Making Law

■ Over 40 former prosecutors run for general election... 'Second life' challenge hitting bills instead of warrants

- More than 40 current and former prosecutors have declared candidacy for the general election
- Close aides of President Yoon Seok-yeol and Representative Lee Jae-myung are running
- Prosecutor-origin candidates face criticism... "A challenge for the candidates"
☞Read article: https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2024011515535389027

■ Lonely exit of the judiciary's top elite senior research judge: zero Supreme Court justices in 10 years

- Once a 'gateway to Supreme Court justice' was the senior research judge
- No appointments to Supreme Court justice in the past 10 years
- "Due to appointments being influenced by conflicts of interest and other distortions"
☞Read article: https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2024011515565317498

■ First bar exam CBT "generally satisfactory"... some test centers experienced screen outages causing anxiety

- Computer-based testing (CBT) introduced for the first time in this year's bar exam
- Mostly positive evaluations such as "less fatigue than handwritten exams"
- Calls for "delicate supervision and support from the Ministry of Justice, the main authority"
☞Read article: https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2024011516052558322

※ 'Money-Making Law,' a content partnership corner between Asia Economy and Law Times, is published every Tuesday and Thursday.

Terms in the News: China's leading 'shadow banking' Zhongzhi Group bankruptcy

- Refers to financial products and areas not supported by central bank liquidity or depositor protection
- Nicknamed 'shadow' because the structure of investment targets is complex and profits and losses are not transparently revealed
- Zhongzhi Group, a funding source for real estate developers... went bankrupt after liquidity problems started due to Chinese regulations

Today's Key Schedule

○ Domestic
- 06:00 December export prices
- 06:00 December import price index

- KOSDAQ Daeshin Balance 17 SPAC subscription / public offering price 2,000 KRW
- KOSDAQ HB Investment subscription / expected public offering price 2,400~2,800 KRW
- KOSDAQ Woojin Entech subscription / public offering price 5,300 KRW

- Gangwon Gangneung Ubless Recent
- Jeonbuk Iksan Firenze

○ Overseas
- 16:00 UK November unemployment rate
- 16:00 Germany December consumer price index
- 19:00 Germany January ZEW economic sentiment index
- 19:00 Eurozone ZEW economic outlook index
- 22:30 U.S. January New York Empire State Manufacturing Index
- 22:30 Canada December consumer price index

◇ Lunch & Commute Weather

○ Lowest temperature -8℃(▼1℃) ｜ Highest temperature: 4℃(▲2℃)
○ Precipitation probability morning 0%｜afternoon 10%
○ Fine dust morning good｜afternoon good

OK in 3 minutes, essential time-efficient economic news. Published daily at 8 AM.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.