U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Year-End Trading Turns Cautious 
China Manufacturing PMI Rebounds in December, Offering Boost to Economic Growth Outlook 
Asian Stock Markets Start New Year Higher as Tech and AI Shares Drive Gains 
South Korean Won Slides Despite Government Efforts to Stabilize Currency Markets 
Trump Delays Tariff Increases on Furniture and Cabinets for One More Year 
Japanese Business Leaders Urge Government Action as Weak Yen Strains Economy 
Forex Markets Hold Steady as Traders Await Fed Minutes Amid Thin Year-End Volumes 
China Imposes 55% Tariff on Beef Imports Above Quota to Protect Domestic Industry 
U.S. Dollar Steadies Ahead of Fed Minutes as Markets Eye Policy Divisions 
South Korea Inflation Rises to 2.3% in December, Matching Market Expectations 
U.S. Dollar Starts 2026 Weak as Yen, Euro and Sterling Hold Firm Amid Rate Cut Expectations 
U.S. Dollar Slides Toward Biggest Annual Loss Since 2017 as 2026 Risks Loom 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Tech and Financial Stocks Weigh on Markets Amid Thin Holiday Trading 
Citi Forecasts a Volatile but Ongoing Bull Market for S&P 500 in 2026 
U.S. Stock Index Futures Steady as Markets Await Fed Policy Clues in Holiday-Thinned Trade 
South Korea Exports Hit Record High as Global Trade Momentum Builds 
Singapore GDP Growth Surges in 2025 but Outlook Remains Cautious Amid Global Trade Risks 
South Korean companies suffered a 10.1 percent dip in sales in the second quarter, its sharpest on record, and plunging from a 1.9 percent on-year drop in the first quarter.
It was also the sixth consecutive quarterly on-year decline in corporate sales.
The quarterly report by the Bank of Korea based on data from 1,851 listed companies also revealed that manufacturers' sales shrunk 12.7 percent on-year in the second quarter.
The average ratio of operating profit to sales was recorded at 5.3 percent last quarter, down from 5.5 percent in the same period of last year.
The average debt-to-equity ratio slipped to 87 percent by end of June from 88.2 percent in the first quarter, with companies paying out dividends in April.
The country's economy contracted 3.2 percent on-quarter in the second quarter with the pandemic stunting exports and private consumption.
Exports, which account for 50 percent of South Korea's economy, shrank 16.1 percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter.
