Commoners with Thinner Wallets Return to Soju [3-Minute Brief]

[At a Glance]
① Circulating Private Equity Fund M&A Deals
② Gold Price Hits Record High... $3000 Next Year?
③ High Testing Costs, Hidden COVID-19 Patients

MARKET INDEX : Year to date

- US New York Stock Exchange's three major indices all declined

- Rising government bond yields weigh on market sentiment

- Last week's unemployment claims also increased

Top3 NEWS

■ From Fund A to Fund B... The revolving M&A listings

- Increasing transactions between funds criticized as 'hot potato'
- Companies reduced to means of fund capital gains
- Transactions solely for LP distributions and performance fees

■ Gold price hits another all-time high... "Forecasted to reach $3,000 next year"

- Dollar value drops amid September rate cut expectations
- US presidential election and Middle East uncertainties drive gold investment
- Citigroup: "Could reach $3,000 next year"

■ "PCR test costs 100,000 won"... Hidden COVID-19 cases due to expensive testing fees

- PCR test fees vary widely by hospital
- Charged between 80,000 and 130,000 won
- Hidden cases raise concerns over increased spread

Graphic News: Recession has arrived... The rebound of 'Soju'

- HiteJinro and Lotte Chilsung report increased operating profits in the first half
- New product success and weakened consumer sentiment revive soju popularity
- Regional soju continues to decline... Bohae Brewery and Muhak underperform

the Chart: Job polarization... 60s & Health Welfare ↑, 20s & Construction ↓

- First quarter near-worker jobs increased by 1.6% year-on-year
- "Surge after endemic, now shrinking... Not a significant level"
- Transportation and warehousing hit record highs influenced by online platforms

Person in the News: 'NEETs'... No interest in employment or anything

Photo unrelated to the article. [Photo by Pixabay]

- 'Just resting youth' not seeking jobs reach all-time high

- Lack of spending power and rising unemployment... Concerns over GDP decline

- "Policies causing mismatch in youth labor supply by education level must be fixed"

Today's Key Schedule

○Domestic

- 23rd KOSDAQ Eunsel listing, public offering price 15,300 won

○Overseas
- 05:30 Federal Reserve balance sheet

- 08:30 Japan July core consumer price index

- 21:00 US Jackson Hole Symposium

- 21:30 Canada June retail sales

- 23:00 Fed Chair Powell speech

- 23:00 US July new home sales

◇Lunch & Commute Weather

○ Low temperature 26℃(0℃) ｜High temperature: 32℃(▲1℃)
○ Precipitation probability morning 60%｜afternoon 60%
○ Fine dust morning good｜afternoon good

3 minutes is OK, essential time-efficient economic news. Published daily at 8 AM.