Asia Manufacturing PMI Rebounds as Exports and Tech Demand Drive Growth into 2026 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Year-End Trading Turns Cautious 
Trump Delays Tariff Increases on Furniture and Cabinets for One More Year 
Citi Forecasts a Volatile but Ongoing Bull Market for S&P 500 in 2026 
Oil Prices Slip Slightly as Markets Weigh Geopolitical Risks and Supply Glut Concerns 
South Korea Exports Hit Record High as Global Trade Momentum Builds 
USDA $12 Billion Farm Aid Program Draws Mixed Reactions from Row Crop Farmers 
South Korean Won Slides Despite Government Efforts to Stabilize Currency Markets 
Oil Prices Slide in 2025 as Oversupply and Geopolitical Risks Shape Market Outlook 
U.S. Dollar Starts 2026 Weak as Yen, Euro and Sterling Hold Firm Amid Rate Cut Expectations 
South Korea Inflation Rises to 2.3% in December, Matching Market Expectations 
Japanese Business Leaders Urge Government Action as Weak Yen Strains Economy 
South Korea Factory Output Misses Forecasts in November Amid Ongoing Economic Uncertainty 
China Manufacturing PMI Rebounds in December, Offering Boost to Economic Growth Outlook 
China Imposes 55% Tariff on Beef Imports Above Quota to Protect Domestic Industry 
Forex Markets Hold Steady as Traders Await Fed Minutes Amid Thin Year-End Volumes 
U.S. Stock Index Futures Steady as Markets Await Fed Policy Clues in Holiday-Thinned Trade 
South Korean shipyards received new orders totaling 990,000 compensated gross tons (CGTs), covering 60 percent of the 1.64 million CGTs ordered globally in November, to outpace their Chinese rivals for the fifth consecutive month.
The Chinese shipbuilders got 600,000 CGTs, or 37 percent, while third-placer Vietnam had 50,000 CGTs in the month.
Global new shipbuilding orders were limited to 14.47 million CGTs from January to November, sharply dropping from 25.23 million CGTs last year.
In the first eleven months, Chinese shipbuilders topped the number of new orders with 298 ships amounting to 6.67 million CGTs, taking up 46 percent of the total.
South Korea was second with 5.02 million CGTs, or 137 ships, while the Japanese got 1.18 million CGTs for 78 vesels.
Global order backlogs, which had been on a downward path since 80.82 million CGTs in January, slightly rose by 30,000 CGTs, or 1 percent, to 67.84 million CGTs at the end of November from a month earlier.
Order backlogs of South Korean shipbuilders increased by 420,000 CGTs, or 2 percent, for a second month, while those of Chinese and Japanese shipbuilders fell last month.
So far this year, Chinese shipbuilders' order backlogs are at 24.98 million CGTs, or 37 percent of the total, followed by South Korean shipbuilders with 19.36 million CGTs and Japanese shipbuilders with 8.29 million CGTs.
