S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
South Korea’s 10-year government bond yield climbed above 4.40% in mid-July, reaching its highest level since October 2022, as investors increasingly priced in a 25 bps rate hike by the Bank of Korea. The move would mark the central bank’s first increase in more than three years, with most economists expecting another hike by year-end that would bring the policy rate to 3%. Expectations for tighter policy have been reinforced by persistent inflation and resilient economic growth. Consumer prices rose 3.2% in June, the fastest pace in two and a half years, remaining above the BOK’s 2% target. Meanwhile, GDP expanded 1.8% quarter-on-quarter in Q1, the strongest quarterly growth in five years, supported by robust semiconductor exports and resilient domestic demand. Rising house prices, elevated household debt, and a weaker won have further strengthened the case for higher rates by adding to inflation risks and imported cost pressures.
