Latest news with #MeritzSecurities
Indian Express
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Not Jungkook or V, this BTS star alone powered HYBE's 85% North American revenue boost in Q1 2025
All seven BTS members reunited in June 2025 after wrapping up their mandatory military service. With each member now focused on solo careers, HYBE has been raking in profits from individual projects too, reporting a massive 133.25 billion KRW in Q1 2025 alone. Surprisingly though, this time the surge wasn't driven by names like like Kim Taehyung or Jeon Jungkook, who usually enjoy massive solo fandom in the West. It was J-Hope who stole the spotlight, his sold-out concerts pushing his popularity through the roof. J-Hope aka Jung Hoseok, the rapper of the seven member boy band, recently wrapped up his first world tour HOPE ON THE STAGE. According to Meritz Securities, his concerts played a huge role in helping HYBE record a massive 85.7% revenue jump in North America in the first quarter of 2025. According to a July 28 report, HYBE earned 133.25 billion KRW (about $102 million) during this period, one of the company's biggest quarterly spikes in recent years. Also read: 'Kim Taehyung makes me feel I can't afford…': BLACKPINK's choreographer reveals how working with BTS' V changed her J-Hope returned from the military on October 17, 2024, and since then has been actively belting out new songs and albums to boost his individual discography. The tour started in April 2025, with J-Hope performing across Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Mexico City, among other venues. He reportedly pulled in over 178,000 fans across 12 sold-out shows. His musical setlist includes a mix of his old and new songs, alongside some of BTS' hits. The 31-year-old had released his solo album back in 2022 titled Jack in the Box, with lead tracks like 'Arson' and 'More'. In the meantime, he also collaborated with J. Cole for 'On the Street'. After returning from the military, he released 'Mona Lisa,' which was previewed during his tour, and more recently 'Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel),' with both songs part of his Hope on the Street Vol.1 album. Reports said ticket sales were strong in every city, proving that BTS fandom remains loyal no matter who is performing. Last year, SUGA (aka Min Yoongi) also pulled record-breaking numbers, and J-Hope just kept the momentum going. Also read: Police raids BTS' agency: What happens to group's comeback if HYBE boss Bang Si Hyuk lands in prison? Aside from ticket sales, merchandise sale also skyrocketed during this time. Analysts said around 22% of concertgoers bought merch, spending about $60 per person on average. The final concert took place on June 14 at Goyang Stadium in South Korea. The night marked the 12th anniversary of BTS and all seven members showed up to support J-Hope. During the performance, Jin and Jungkook even joined him onstage to perform 'Jamais Vu'. According to Luminate data, K-pop fever isn't dying down anytime soon, if anything, it's just getting hotter. K-pop groups like Stray Kids, ENHYPEN, ATEEZ, SEVENTEEN, and LE SSERAFIM all landed in the Top 10 U.S. CD Albums list for the first half of the year. Stray Kids' album HOP alone sold 149,000 copies in the U.S. SEVENTEEN, on the other hand, managed to outsell big names like Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and more. As for BTS, the group is set to make their much-awaited comeback next spring.
Reuters
08-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Bank of Korea to pause easing in July amid household debt surge: Reuters poll
BENGALURU, July 8 (Reuters) - The Bank of Korea will pause its easing cycle on Thursday but is expected to resume interest rate cuts next month to support economic growth in a country burdened by high household debt, a Reuters poll of economists suggested. Government data showed, opens new tab home-backed mortgage loans rose by 5.6 trillion won ($4.1 billion) in May, accelerating from a 4.8 trillion won increase in April. That uptick is likely to deter the central bank from delivering back-to-back rate cuts even as it remains on an overall easing path. "There is a need to be cautious about the possibility of housing market and household debt-related risks increasing again," central bank board monetary policy board member Kim Jong-hwa said on June 25. All 33 economists polled July 1–7 expected the BOK to hold its base rate (KROCRT=ECI), opens new tab at 2.50% on July 10. "A pause in July is not really a special thing. Financial stability and housing market concerns were always under consideration when the BOK was conducting monetary policy," Stephen Lee, chief economist at Meritz Securities, said. "The only thing ... that seems a little bit different this time is that home prices in Seoul have recently surged and that has caused mortgage loans to rise," he added. Even after 100 basis points of cuts since late last year, the minutes of the May meeting showed board members saying it was necessary to continue easing monetary policy to support economic growth. With the economy contracting 0.2% in the first three months of the year and inflation largely stable at around 2%, a significant majority of economists - 22 of 31 - expect the BOK to lower the policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.25% by the end of this quarter. However, views diverged on where rates will end the year. Just over half of economists, or 16 of 31, saw the policy rate at 2.25%, while 13 said rates would fall to 2.00% by end-2025. Two expected it to remain unchanged at 2.50%. "The combination of lackluster growth and contained price pressure will encourage further policy support," Jennifer Kusuma, senior rate strategist at ANZ, said. "We expect the BOK's policy messaging to keep the door open for further easing and continue to see scope for a further 25 bps rate cut this year, taking the policy rate to 2.25%." A slowing economy and the lack of progress on a trade deal with the United States are likely to weigh on the outlook. The poll showed economists reduced their 2025 growth forecast to 0.9% from 1.3% expected in April, aligning with the central bank's projection of 0.8%. Inflation was expected to average 2.0% this year and ease slightly to 1.9% in 2026. "The prolonged uncertainty will surely dampen the already weak domestic demand growth, companies will likely adopt wait-and-see mode before finalising their investment plans," Kelvin Lam, senior economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said. "If trade talks with the U.S. turn sour, then there will be a higher chance of rates going to 2.00% by end of this year." (Other stories from the July Reuters global economic poll) ($1 = 1,367.7 won)
CNA
08-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Bank of Korea to pause easing in July amid household debt surge: Reuters poll
BENGALURU :The Bank of Korea will pause its easing cycle on Thursday but is expected to resume interest rate cuts next month to support economic growth in a country burdened by high household debt, a Reuters poll of economists suggested. Government data showed home-backed mortgage loans rose by 5.6 trillion won ($4.1 billion) in May, accelerating from a 4.8 trillion won increase in April. That uptick is likely to deter the central bank from delivering back-to-back rate cuts even as it remains on an overall easing path. "There is a need to be cautious about the possibility of housing market and household debt-related risks increasing again," central bank board monetary policy board member Kim Jong-hwa said on June 25. All 33 economists polled July 1–7 expected the BOK to hold its base rate at 2.50 per cent on July 10. "A pause in July is not really a special thing. Financial stability and housing market concerns were always under consideration when the BOK was conducting monetary policy," Stephen Lee, chief economist at Meritz Securities, said. "The only thing ... that seems a little bit different this time is that home prices in Seoul have recently surged and that has caused mortgage loans to rise," he added. Even after 100 basis points of cuts since late last year, the minutes of the May meeting showed board members saying it was necessary to continue easing monetary policy to support economic growth. With the economy contracting 0.2 per cent in the first three months of the year and inflation largely stable at around 2 per cent, a significant majority of economists - 22 of 31 - expect the BOK to lower the policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.25 per cent by the end of this quarter. However, views diverged on where rates will end the year. Just over half of economists, or 16 of 31, saw the policy rate at 2.25 per cent, while 13 said rates would fall to 2.00 per cent by end-2025. Two expected it to remain unchanged at 2.50 per cent. "The combination of lackluster growth and contained price pressure will encourage further policy support," Jennifer Kusuma, senior rate strategist at ANZ, said. "We expect the BOK's policy messaging to keep the door open for further easing and continue to see scope for a further 25 bps rate cut this year, taking the policy rate to 2.25 per cent." A slowing economy and the lack of progress on a trade deal with the United States are likely to weigh on the outlook. The poll showed economists reduced their 2025 growth forecast to 0.9 per cent from 1.3 per cent expected in April, aligning with the central bank's projection of 0.8 per cent. Inflation was expected to average 2.0 per cent this year and ease slightly to 1.9 per cent in 2026. "The prolonged uncertainty will surely dampen the already weak domestic demand growth, companies will likely adopt wait-and-see mode before finalising their investment plans," Kelvin Lam, senior economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said. "If trade talks with the U.S. turn sour, then there will be a higher chance of rates going to 2.00 per cent by end of this year."
Miami Herald
25-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Korea's Meritz Securities partners with AWS for AI platform
June 25 (UPI) -- Meritz Securities, one of South Korea's leading brokerage houses, announced a partnership Tuesday with Amazon Web Services to introduce innovative services. Under the cooperation with AWS, the world's top cloud service provider, Meritz Securities plans to develop personalized financial platforms powered by artificial intelligence applications. Meritz Securities has channeled resources to strengthen its AI research capabilities and come up with futuristic financial platforms. Toward that end, the Seoul-based company founded a dedicated in-house organization, called the Inno Biz Center, early this year and attracted dozens of info-tech and financial experts. "This collaboration will serve as a turning point for us as we transform into a next-generation AI-driven financial corporation," said Meritz Securities Senior Vice President Lee Jang-wook, who leads the Inno Biz Center. An increasing number of South Korean brokerages take advantage of AI technologies. Late last month, for example, Mirae Asset Securities launched a new service, which uses AI to identify and deliver real-time insights into the causes of sharp stock price fluctuations in overseas markets. The service automatically scans U.S. stocks, which rose or fell by more than 2% during the previous trading session and identifies reasons by going through disclosures or key events. It then summarizes related global news and provides investors with concise explanations. In April, KB Securities unveiled "Stock GPT," a customized investment information service supported by generative AI. It incorporates conversational AI technology, thus enabling investors to receive real-time answers to their stock market-related inquiries. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
25-06-2025
- Business
- UPI
Korea's Meritz Securities partners with AWS for AI platform
June 25 (UPI) -- Meritz Securities, one of South Korea's leading brokerage houses, announced a partnership Tuesday with Amazon Web Services to introduce innovative services. Under the cooperation with AWS, the world's top cloud service provider, Meritz Securities plans to develop personalized financial platforms powered by artificial intelligence applications. Meritz Securities has channeled resources to strengthen its AI research capabilities and come up with futuristic financial platforms. Toward that end, the Seoul-based company founded a dedicated in-house organization, called the Inno Biz Center, early this year and attracted dozens of info-tech and financial experts. "This collaboration will serve as a turning point for us as we transform into a next-generation AI-driven financial corporation," said Meritz Securities Senior Vice President Lee Jang-wook, who leads the Inno Biz Center. An increasing number of South Korean brokerages take advantage of AI technologies. Late last month, for example, Mirae Asset Securities launched a new service, which uses AI to identify and deliver real-time insights into the causes of sharp stock price fluctuations in overseas markets. The service automatically scans U.S. stocks, which rose or fell by more than 2% during the previous trading session and identifies reasons by going through disclosures or key events. It then summarizes related global news and provides investors with concise explanations. In April, KB Securities unveiled "Stock GPT," a customized investment information service supported by generative AI. It incorporates conversational AI technology, thus enabling investors to receive real-time answers to their stock market-related inquiries.
