South Korea’s exports to fall in Oct for first time in two years

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A truck transports containers at Hanjin Delivery’s container terminal on the Busan New Port in Busan, about 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Seoul August 8, 2013. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Gained/File Picture

By Jihoon Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s exports seemingly fell in October, shrinking for the primary time in two years within the face of a world financial slowdown and rising rates of interest, a Reuters survey confirmed on Friday.

The nation’s outbound shipments have been forecast to have fallen 3.0% in October from the identical month a 12 months in the past, in accordance with the median forecast of 11 economists, after progress slowed to a close to two-year low of two.7% in September.

That may finish a 23-month streak of year-on-year beneficial properties since November 2020. The tempo of progress has fallen extra sharply since mid-2022, with progress charges for the previous 4 months all the way down to single-digits.

“Export progress price is predicted to show adverse in October on continued influence from weakening world demand for items, downturn in semiconductor cycle, and slowdown of shipments to China,” stated Park Sung-woo, an economist at DB Monetary Funding.

Throughout the first 20 days of this month, exports shrank 5.5%, as gross sales to China – South Korea’s greatest buying and selling associate – dropped 16.3%, on the right track for a fifth full month of declines.

In the meantime, imports have been anticipated to increase their run of beneficial properties to a twenty third month with progress of seven.2%. Nonetheless, the determine can be nicely down on 18.6% in September and the weakest since January 2021.

Altogether, they’d deliver the commerce steadiness to a deficit for a seventh consecutive month, placing it on monitor for the primary annual shortfall in 14 years and the largest-ever.

Full month-to-month commerce information is scheduled for launch on the primary day of November.

The survey additionally forecast the nation’s annual inflation price for October can be flat at 5.6%, after softening for a second month in September. The speed hit a close to 24-year excessive of 6.3% in July.

There was, nevertheless, some division in expectations. Of 11 respondents, 5 noticed the inflation price rebounding, whereas three picked no change and the remaining three anticipated it to ease additional.

On South Korea’s manufacturing facility output, economists anticipated manufacturing to have prolonged its downturn for a 3rd month in September, falling 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted month-to-month foundation, after a 1.8% decline in August.

(This story has been corrected to take away the redundant phrase “almost” in first paragraph)