Asian Markets Surge as Japan Election, Fed Rate Cut Bets, and Tech Rally Lift Global Sentiment 
Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Steps Down After Layoffs 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
South Africa Eyes ECB Repo Lines as Inflation Eases and Rate Cuts Loom 
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge 
Yen Slides as Japan Election Boosts Fiscal Stimulus Expectations 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Hims & Hers Halts Compounded Semaglutide Pill After FDA Warning 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Anta Sports Expands Global Footprint With Strategic Puma Stake 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Kroger Set to Name Former Walmart Executive Greg Foran as Next CEO 
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
Toyota’s Surprise CEO Change Signals Strategic Shift Amid Global Auto Turmoil 
Taiwan Says Moving 40% of Semiconductor Production to the U.S. Is Impossible 
Top global investment banks (IB) forecast the South Korean economy to grow 3.4 percent this year, up by 0.1 percentage point from their previous estimate.
Credit Suisse upgraded its estimate by 0.7 percentage point to 3.6 percent and HSBC by 0.5 percentage point to 2.7 percent.
Others surveyed in late December, Barclays, BoA-Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Nomura Securities, and UBS, have retained their previous projections ranging from 3 percent to 4.1 percent.
UBS gave the rosiest outlook of 4.1 percent.
South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance recently forecasted a 3.2 percent growth, while the Bank of Korea gave a 3 percent outlook.
The average 2021 outlook for the global economy stood at 5.7 percent.
The forecast for China was an 8.4 percent growth, while the US was given a 4.4 percent growth outlook. Japan is expected to grow 3 percent.
