Savings and Deposit Rates Fall While Loan Rates Remain Unchanged [3-Minute Brief]

[At a Glance]
① "When will mortgage rates drop?"... Home loan rates rise at top 5 banks
② Musk's "public servant layoffs" drive jobless claims to highest last week
③ US Q4 economic growth rate at 2.3%

MARKET INDEX

○ US New York stock market plunges as Mexico and Canada enforce tariffs
○ Possibility of negotiations dismissed... Fear of trade war spreads
○ Concerns over economic downturn due to weaker-than-expected manufacturing indicators

TOP 3 NEWS

■ Deposit and savings interest rates lowered... Mortgage loan rates alone rise

○ Bank of Korea 'Weighted average interest rate of financial institutions in January 2025'
○ Mortgage loan rate at 4.27%... rises again after one month
○ Deposit and savings interest rates fall... Interest rate spread between loans and deposits at 1.46%p

■ Public servant dismissals intensify... Musk says "Let's raise lawmakers' salaries"

○ Citing prevention of corruption
○ Corruption causes costs 1000 times greater
○ Strong opposition to last year's provisional budget

■ US economy led by consumption... Q4 preliminary growth rate at 2.3%

○ Matches flash and expected figures
○ Consumption increased by 4.2%, driving growth
○ Core PCE inflation rate revised up to 2.7%

Graphic News: Trump raised expectations... Bitcoin falls to $84,000

○ Bitcoin falls more than 14% in a week

○ "Investment sentiment weakens amid ongoing policy uncertainty"

○ Negative factors hit the virtual asset market as well

Profitable Law

■ Trainer who administered steroids during military physical exam receives suspended prison sentence

○ Even if administered due to job characteristics
○ If aware it could be a reason for exemption
○ Should be considered as steroid use for evading or reducing military service obligation
☞Read article: https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2025022814354730015

■ Constitutional Court to deliver impeachment ruling on President Yoon with full panel including Ma Eun-hyuk?

○ Full panel of nine may delay ruling date
○ Acting Chief Choi unlikely to immediately appoint nominee Ma
○ Speaker Woo Won-shik urges prompt appointment procedure
☞Read article: https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2025022814410446893

■ Prosecution formalizes Virtual Asset Crime Joint Investigation Unit

○ One year and seven months after launching as a non-regular temporary organization
○ Main investigation targets include price manipulation and fraudulent trading
○ Will also collect information on virtual asset crimes
☞Read article: https://www.asiae.co.kr/article/lawtimes/2025022814481505532

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

Today's Key Schedule

○ Domestic

08:00 South Korea Retail Sales (MoM) (January)

KOSDAQ CK Solutions subscription, expected IPO price 13,500 ~ 15,000 KRW

○ Overseas

00:00 US ISM Manufacturing PMI (February)

17:00 Spain Unemployment Rate Change (February)

19:00 Europe Unemployment Rate (January)

◇ Lunch & Commute Weather

○ Lowest temperature 0℃(▼3℃) ｜ Highest temperature: 4℃(▼8℃)
○ Precipitation probability 80% in the morning｜80% in the afternoon
○ Fine dust Moderate in the morning｜Moderate in the afternoon

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.