"Expectations for New Government"… Consumer Sentiment Turns 'Optimistic' for First Time Since Martial Law [3-Minute Brief]

[At a Glance]
① Consumer Sentiment Sees Biggest Improvement in 4 Years and 7 Months in May
② Insurance Companies' Loan Balance Reaches 269 Trillion Won in Q1... Delinquency Rate Rises
③ BNP Paribas Releases Forecasts on Fiscal Policy and Other Scenarios After Election

MARKET INDEX : Year to date

○All three major New York stock indexes closed sharply higher.

○A buying spree was triggered by Donald Trump's decision to postpone the 50% tariff on the EU.

○Treasury yields also fell, with the 10-year yield at 4.45%.

Top3 NEWS

■ "Expectations for New Government Stimulus" Consumer Sentiment Turns 'Optimistic' for First Time Since Martial Law

○Bank of Korea, 'May 2025 Consumer Survey Results'
○May Consumer Sentiment Index at 101.8, above baseline
○Expectations for reduced political uncertainty and mitigation of tariff shock

■ Prolonged Economic Recession... Household Loan Delinquency Rate Hits 9-Year High

○In February, the household loan delinquency rate was 0.5%, the highest since July 2015
○Corporate loan delinquency rates are also on the rise
○More borrowers are unable to repay debt due to economic downturn

■ Lee Jaemyung vs Kim Moonsu... Global Investment Banks' Macroeconomic Forecasts

○"Lee Jaemyung is expected to launch fiscal projects through a second supplementary budget."
○Kim Moonsu, who emphasizes fiscal soundness, is likely to keep the supplementary budget small even if implemented
○Their approaches to trade negotiations with the U.S. also differ: Lee Jaemyung is cautious, while Kim Moonsu is quick to act

Graphic News: Authorities to Investigate Outflow of 'Dormant' Dementia Funds

○The government has begun establishing an asset protection system to address the outflow of dementia funds
○Dementia funds should be available for nursing and caregiving purposes
○Revisions to the Trust Act and enactment of special legislation are needed

the Chart: Analysis of Teen Spending Patterns... Most Frequently Used Places

○NongHyup Bank analyzed five years of teen customer data
○Convenience stores were the most common place of spending for middle and high school students
○Olive Young saw high sales during promotional periods and many online purchases

Today's Key Schedule

○Domestic

KOSDAQ Linksolution subscription, final public offering price set at 23,000 won

06:00 Korea Manufacturing Business Survey Index

○Overseas

00:30 U.S. Atlanta Fed GDPnow (Q2)

11:00 New Zealand interest rate decision

16:55 Germany unemployment rate (May)

19:00 U.S. OPEC meeting

◇Lunch & Commute Weather

○Lowest temperature: 15℃(0℃) ｜Highest temperature: 27℃(0℃)
○Chance of precipitation: 30% in the morning｜30% in the afternoon
○Fine dust: Moderate in the morning｜Moderate in the afternoon

Just 3 minutes for essential, high-value economic news. Published daily at 8:00 AM.