12 Oct

South Korea holds rate, to ‘appropriately’ adjust policy

October 12, 2021

By CentralBankNews.info

South Korea’s central bank left its base rate steady, as widely expected, and said it would “appropriately adjust the degree of monetary policy accommodation as the Korean economy is expected to continue its sound ground and inflation to run above 2% for some time, despite ongoing uncertainties over the virus.”
Today’s guidance by the Bank of Korea’s (BOK) monetary policy board appears slightly more dovish than its guidance from August when it said it would “gradually” adjust the degree of monetary policy accommodation.
      BOK left its base rate steady at 0.75 percent after raising it in August by 25 basis points in the first rate hikes since November 2018.
As in its policy statement in August, BOK said it would “judge when to further adjust the degree of accommodation” while taking into account the pace of growth and inflation, the build-up of financial imbalances, monetary policy changes in major countries and COVID-19.
South Korea’s inflation rate has remained above BOK’S 2.0 percent target since April but eased in August to 2.5 percent from 2.6 percent in the previous two months.
“Looking ahead, it is forecast that consumer price inflation will run at the mid-2% level for some time, exceeding the path projected in August before declining somewhat,” the bank said, adding core inflation is expected to rise to the upper 1 percent level from 1.3 percent in August.
      The pace of growth of South Korea’s economy has been slowing in recent quarters – it grew 0.8 percent in the second quarter, down from first quarter growth of 1.7 percent – but BOK confirmed it still expects growth this year of around 4.0 percent, as in August.

The Bank of Korea issued the following statement:

“The Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea decided today to leave the Base Rate unchanged at 0.75% for the intermeeting period.

Currently available information suggests that the global economy has continued to recover despite the spread of COVID-19 variants, supported by accelerated vaccinations and the relaxation of restrictions on economic activity in major countries. In global financial markets, government bond yields in major countries have increased steeply and the US dollar has strengthened while stock prices have fallen, amid growing concerns over the prospect of prolonged global inflation and the rising possibility of the US Federal Reserve’s tapering within the year. Looking ahead, the Board sees global economic growth and global financial markets as likely to be affected largely by the severity of the resurgence of COVID-19 and the status of vaccine distribution, as well as by global inflation movements and monetary policy changes in major countries.

The Korean economy has continued its sound recovery. Exports have sustained their buoyancy and facilities investment has continued its robust trend. Private consumption has recently shown improvement again, after having slowed due to the coronavirus resurgence. Labor market conditions have continued to improve, with a sustained year-on-year increase in the number of persons employed. Going forward, the economy is likely to continue its recovery as private consumption is forecast to improve gradually, affected by vaccinations and the consequent expansion of economic activity as well as the execution of a supplementary budget, while exports and investment are expected to sustain their buoyancy. GDP growth this year is projected to be around 4%, consistent with the forecast in August.

Consumer price inflation has remained high at the mid-2% level due to the accelerating increase in the prices of petroleum products and of services. Core inflation (excluding changes in food and energy prices from the CPI) has risen to the mid-1% level. The inflation expectations of the general public have remained at the mid-2% level. Looking ahead, it is forecast that consumer price inflation will run at the mid-2% level for some time, exceeding the path projected in August, before declining somewhat. Core inflation is forecast to increase to around the upper-1% level.

Free Reports:

Get our Weekly Commitment of Traders Reports - See where the biggest traders (Hedge Funds and Commercial Hedgers) are positioned in the futures markets on a weekly basis.





Download Our Metatrader 4 Indicators – Put Our Free MetaTrader 4 Custom Indicators on your charts when you join our Weekly Newsletter




In domestic financial markets, long-term market interest rates and the Korean won to US dollar exchange rate have risen significantly while stock prices have fallen considerably, mainly driven by global financial market movements. The increase in household loans remains at a high level, and housing prices have continued to increase rapidly in all parts of the country.

The Board will continue to conduct monetary policy in order to sustain the recovery of economic growth and stabilize consumer price inflation at the target level over a medium-term horizon, while paying attention to financial stability. The Board will appropriately adjust the degree of monetary policy accommodation as the Korean economy is expected to continue its sound growth and inflation to run above 2% for some time, despite ongoing uncertainties over the virus. In this process the Board will judge when to further adjust the degree of accommodation while thoroughly assessing developments related to COVID-19, changes in the pace of growth and inflation, the risk of a buildup of financial imbalances, and monetary policy changes in major countries.”

 www.CentralBankNews.info


investmacro cot newsletter




Economics & Fundamentals Financial News