SEOUL -- South Korean banks' household lending rose for the 11th straight month in February due to solid demand for mortgage loan, central bank data showed Wednesday.
Debt owed by households to deposit-taking banks increased by 2.0 trillion won (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) from a month earlier to hit a new high of 1,100.3 trillion won (836.1 billion dollars) at the end of February, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). (South Korea-Household-Lending)
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TOKYO -- Tokyo stocks closed lower on Wednesday over speculation that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) might put an end to the negative interest rates following wage increases proposed by major corporations.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, declined for the third straight trading day by ending down 101.54 points, or 0.26 percent, from Tuesday to close the day at 38,695.97. (Japan-Tokyo Stocks)
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BERLIN -- Consumer price index (CPI) in Germany dropped further to 2.5 percent in February -- the lowest level since June 2021, down from 2.9 percent in January, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said on Tuesday.
"The price situation for energy products continues to ease," Destatis President Ruth Brand said in a statement. The rise in food prices "slowed markedly" and dropped below the overall inflation rate for the first time in more than two years. (Germany-Economy-Inflation)
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DHAKA -- Bangladesh's trade deficit in the first seven months of the 2023-24 fiscal year from July 2023 to June 2024 narrowed by 65.45 percent to 4.63 billion U.S. dollars, showed the latest data of the Bangladesh Bank.
The central bank data showed that the country's import payment was 36.03 billion dollars, down 18.17 percent in the July-January period of the current fiscal year, while earnings from exports stood at 31.40 billion dollars, up 2.50 percent during the same period. (Bangladesh-Trade Deficit) ■
