Producer Prices Rise for Third Consecutive Month Due to High Exchange Rate [3-Minute Brief]

[At a Glance]
① High Exchange Rate Drives Up Diesel and Gasoline Prices + Continued Rise in Semiconductor Prices
② Life Insurers’ Survival and Hospitalization Payments Hit Record High
③ US Inflation Slows... Wall Street Remains Skeptical

MARKET INDEX : Year to date

○Santa Rally Ready on New York Stock Exchange
○Positive Outlook for GDP and Employment Indicators
○AI Expectations Driving Stock Market Upward

Top 3 NEWS

■ "High Exchange Rate Drives Up Diesel and Gasoline Prices" Producer Price Index Rises for Third Consecutive Month

○Bank of Korea 'November 2025 Producer Price Index (Preliminary)'
○Dubai Crude Oil Price in December Down 3.1% vs. Exchange Rate and Commercial City Gas Rates Up, 'Mixed Situation'
○Despite Oil Price Drop, Coal and Petroleum Products Up 5%... Largest Increase in 2 Years and 2 Months

■ Life Insurers Face Growing Burden in 'Super-Aged Society'... Survival and Hospitalization Payments Hit Record High

○Life insurers' survival and hospitalization payments reach 22.3675 trillion won, up 6.72% year-on-year
○Burden Increases Due to High-Interest Annuity Payments and Securitization of Death Benefits
○Intensifying Price War Over Hospitalization Costs in Health Insurance Market... "Could Become a Boomerang"

■ US Government Praises Its Own Inflation Slowdown... Wall Street Remains Skeptical

○November Consumer Price Index Up 2.7%
○Lowest Rate in Over Four Years
○Doubts Over Reliability Due to Shutdown Data Omission

Graphic News: Betting on 'Weak Won' Despite Government Concerns... Dollar-Denominated Products See Surge in Sales

○Sales of Dollar Insurance Already Surpassed Last Year’s Total
○Dollar Deposit Balances Have Increased for Two Consecutive Months
○"Could Hit 1,500 Won Next Year"... Strong Impact from Perception of Prolonged High Exchange Rate

the Chart: Financial Companies’ Overseas Real Estate Non-Performing Assets Reach 2 Trillion Won

○Impact of Contraction in Overseas Commercial Real Estate Market
○Proactive Risk Management Has Reduced the Scale of Non-Performing Assets
○"Signs of Recovery Across the Market... Investment Sentiment Easing"

Today's Key Schedule

○Domestic

Samjin Foods to List on KOSDAQ, Final Offering Price: 7,600 won

Hana No.36 SPAC to List on KOSDAQ, Final Offering Price: 2,000 won

Mirae Asset Vision SPAC No.11 to List on KOSDAQ, Final Offering Price: 2,000 won

○International

13:00 Malaysia Consumer Price Index (YoY) (November)

16:00 UK GDP (YoY) (Q3)

22:30 Canada Raw Material Price Index (MoM) (November)

◇Lunch & Commute Weather

○Lowest Temperature: -5℃ (▼2℃) ｜Highest Temperature: 6℃ (▲4℃)
○Chance of Precipitation: Morning 0% ｜ Afternoon 20%
○Fine Dust: Good in the Morning ｜ Good in the Afternoon

Three minutes is all you need: Essential, time-efficient economic news. Published daily at 8:00 AM.