Society, Policy & regulation, Finance & markets
477 storiesIndia's central bank raises key rate to 5.5%, first hike in 3 years 8 months
The Reserve Bank of India decided on 7 October to raise its main policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 5.5%, the first increase in three years and eight months. Governor Sanjay Malhotra cited a worsening Middle East situation, sharp swin…
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
Korean court suspends market-cap delisting decisions; exchange halts two more exits
Seoul Southern District Court Civil Division 51 granted injunctions on Oct 2 suspending the Korea Exchange's delisting decisions against KOSPI-listed Joo Yeon Tech and KOSDAQ-listed KM Pharma until a main ruling. The court questioned the 45…
Defense minister: arts, sports military service exemption to be cut and abolished
South Korea's defense minister said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it, after controversy over remarks by Asian Games football gold medallists about the exe…
Bank of Russia raises official dollar rate to 84.93 rubles for October 6
The Bank of Russia set the official dollar rate for October 6 at 84.93 rubles, up 1.45 rubles from 83.48 rubles on October 3, with the euro rising 1.01 rubles to 95.33 rubles and the yuan up 0.22 rubles to 12.65 rubles. RBC reported the rub…
New York stocks open mixed as 10-year Treasury yield holds near 5.3%
New York's main stock indices opened mixed on October 5, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 0.27% as the 10-year US Treasury yield held around 5.3%, a level Asia Economy described as the highest in several years. The S&P 500 a…
Three Korean business dailies publish daily fortune columns dated Oct 5
Maeil Business, Chosun Ilbo and Korea Economic Daily each published a daily fortune column dated October 5, 2026, the 25th day of the eighth lunar month. Chosun Ilbo's feature, carried since 2017 and written by Han So-pyeong of Geumo Sanban…
European stock indices close higher on Oct 6 after mixed Oct 5 session
On Oct 6, 2026, major European stock indices all closed higher: the UK FTSE 100 rose 0.42%, France’s CAC 40 0.47%, Germany’s DAX 0.82% and Italy’s FTSE MIB 0.87%, according to CLS. The previous day, most indices rose but France’s CAC 40 fel…
South Korea unveils 1,000 trillion won green transition plan to 2035
South Korea announced a “Korean-style Green Transition” (K-GX) strategy on Oct 7, pledging about 1,000 trillion won over ten years to 2035 — 200 trillion won in fiscal support and more than 790 trillion won in climate finance through five p…
JPX to cut TOPIX constituents from about 1,600 to 986 under new selection rules
Japan Exchange Group announced on Oct 7 that it will sharply reduce the number of companies in the TOPIX stock index, to 986 from 1,634, in a phased change running from late October to July 2028. A reassessment in October 2027 will decide w…
New York stocks open lower; Dow falls 273 points as bond yields rise
New York stocks opened lower on Oct. 5. As of 9:45 a.m., the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 273.01 points at 50,903.95, Nikkei reported, saying rising U.S. long-term interest rates weighed on cyclical shares while some tech stocks dr…
South Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
KCTU to vote Oct 7 on return to social dialogue; council ready to talk
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (민주노총) will hold its 85th temporary delegate conference at 1 p.m. on Oct 7 at KINTEX in Goyang to vote on joining the Economic, Social and Labor Council (경사노위), which would end a 27-year absence from…
Busan shark Bukkangi crosses net, returns to waterway; rescue paused
The shark nicknamed Bukkangi, believed to be a dusky shark about 3 m long, crossed a large net and returned to the artificial waterway at Busan's Bukhang Chinsu Park around noon on Oct 3, a day after a second attempt to guide it to open sea…
US 10-year Treasury yield hits highest since 2002 as long-dated selloff extends
US long-dated Treasury yields climbed to their highest levels since 2002 on Oct 5, with the 10-year reaching about 5.35% and the 30-year above 5.70%. Chosun Ilbo reported the 10-year closed the third quarter at 5.29%, the biggest quarterly …
China's central bank adds to gold reserves for 23rd straight month
China's gold reserves stood at 77.47 million ounces, or about 2,409.59 tonnes, at the end of September, up 740,000 ounces (about 23.02 tonnes) from 76.73 million ounces (about 2,386.57 tonnes) at the end of August, according to figures carr…
FT: EU weighs universal corporate levy to raise taxes on US tech giants
The European Commission is considering a new mechanism to raise more tax revenue from large US technology companies without singling them out as a separate category, the Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources. Under discussion is …
Army study found ICE shock gloves cause pain, compliance and fear, AP reports
A previously unreleased Army study found that shock gloves now purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement caused intense pain, immediate compliance and fear of further shocks during a 2024 military exercise. Records obtained by t…
South Korea re-designates 92 population decline regions, adds Busan Geumjeong, Dongducheon and Tongyeong
South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety re-designated 92 cities, counties and districts as population decline regions on Oct. 7, up from 89 in the first designation five years earlier. Busan's Geumjeong-gu, Gyeonggi's Dongducheon …
S. Korea farm minister says minor farmland survey violations won't be punished
Agriculture minister Song Mi-ryung told a parliamentary audit on Oct 7 that most ordinary, customary violations found in the government's full farmland survey would not be punished, and that the government has no plan or reason to confiscat…