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Real-time News
South Koreas exports surged 52.3% year-on-year in the first 20 days of July, driven by a robust semiconductor export boom fueled by the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Data released by South Korean customs on Tuesday showed that exports totaled $54.9 billion from July 1st to 20th, compared to $36 billion in the same period last year. Imports, meanwhile, increased by 20% to $42.7 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $12.2 billion. By industry, semiconductor exports continued to lead the overall growth, surging 180% to $22.1 billion. Automobile exports, however, declined by 10.6% to $3.24 billion. In terms of export destinations, exports to China nearly doubled to $13.3 billion, while exports to the US increased by 39.6% to $8.96 billion. As of Monday, South Koreas cumulative exports this year reached $551.2 billion, a 48.7% increase year-on-year.Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.8%, German DAX futures fell 0.7%, and UK FTSE futures fell 0.8%.July 21 – According to foreign media reports, a large office building in Hong Kong owned by CK Asset Holdings Limited (01113.HK) has finally seen tenant demand, reversing a long-term vacancy since its completion in 2024; this signifies a recovery in one of the worlds largest commercial real estate markets. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the occupancy rate of the 41-story "CK Group Centre Phase 2" has more than doubled since the beginning of this year, reaching approximately 60%. The improved economy has prompted financial institutions to upgrade their office environments and expand their office scale, thus driving leasing demand. One source indicated that CK Asset Holdings, owned by Li Ka-shing, expects the skyscrapers occupancy rate to reach at least 75% by the end of this year. Data from real estate consultancy JLL shows that in the first half of this year, Grade A office rents in Central rose by 7.3%, marking the largest half-year increase in 15 years; meanwhile, the vacancy rate also fell from 10.9% at the end of 2025 to 8.8%.July 21st - AI trading has continued to disrupt Asian stock markets in recent months, while the Australian market has demonstrated strong resilience. The Australian S&P/ASX 200 index is on track to outperform the MSCI Asia Pacific index for the second consecutive month, marking its longest winning streak since November 2024. The limited exposure of Australian stocks to chipmakers, once considered a disadvantage during the AI rally, has now become a source of market resilience. This characteristic helped the Australian stock market weather market shocks as semiconductor stocks in markets such as South Korea and Japan declined. This shift also highlights that as market volatility intensifies, investors are becoming increasingly cautious about crowded AI trades and are beginning to rotate funds into other markets.SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics both rose by around 1%.
