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South Korea's Household Loans Accelerate in May

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South Korea's household loans rose by 9.3 trillion won in May, sharply higher than the 3.5 trillion won increase in April, according to a June 11 release from the Financial Services Commission.

Home-backed mortgage loans grew by 4 trillion won during the month, easing from a 5.5 trillion won gain in April.

At banks, mortgage lending accelerated to 3.2 trillion won from 2.7 trillion won, while growth in non-bank mortgage lending slowed sharply to 800 billion won from 2.8 trillion won.

Other loans increased by 5.3 trillion won, rebounding from a 2 trillion won decline in April, driven by credit loans, which swung to a 3.4 trillion won gain from a 900 billion won drop.

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International

TSX Closer: The Index Gains as Gold Rebounds, Household Net Worth Climbs

The Toronto Stock Exchange closed with a gain on Friday as investors welcomed higher gold prices and assessed fresh data showing Canadian household wealth continued to grow in the first quarter despite volatility in financial markets.The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 266.39 points, or 0.77%, to 34,937.85, as strong gains in battery metals, base metals and financial stocks outweighed weakness in health care, technology and energy shares.Battery Metals Index led gainers, up 6.70%, with Base Metals, Industrials, Utilities, and Financial, up 2.21%, 0.60%, 0.07%, and 0.86%, respectively. Health Care led decliners, down 1.64%, with Information and Technology, down 0.99%, Telecom, down 0.12%, and Energy, down 0.48%.In commodities, gold traded sharply higher on Friday, rising off a seven-month low on expectations Iran is ready to sign a peace deal with the United States, promising to lower the high oil prices that have raised inflation and boosted the U.S. dollar and bond yields.Gold for July delivery was last seen up US$124.80 to US$4,238.80 per ounce after falling to the lowest since Nov. 20 a day earlier. The rise comes as U.S. President Trump on Thursday said he canceled planned attacks on Iran and said a peace deal with the country is near.For oil, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell for a second day on Friday, falling to the lowest in nearly two months on expectations the United States and Iran are near a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. WTI crude oil for July delivery closed down US$2.83 to settle at US$84.88 per barrel, the lowest since April 17, while August Brent oil was last seen down US$3.11 to US$87.27.With the prospect of lower geopolitical tensions and a potential peace deal in sight between the United States and Iran, the US dollar (USD) sold off early Friday as the demand for safe havens cooled, said Rosenberg Research.Oil prices are responding to the possibility of a deal between the U.S. and Iran, as both Brent and WTI have pulled back by more than 4.0%, noted Rosenberg. The other currencies that are underperforming as things settle are the Canadian dollar and the Norwegian krone, two currencies that markets closely identify with oil price moves, stated Rosenberg.Beyond commodity markets, fresh economic data showed Canadian household wealth continued to grow in the first quarter despite volatility in financial markets. Household net worth rises in the face of volatile equity markets, said Statistics Canada in a statement on Friday.The net worth of Canadian households, the value of all assets minus all liabilities, rose 1.3% in the first quarter of 2026 to reach just over $18.6 trillion, as the value of both non-financial and financial assets increased in tandem. Following two consecutive quarterly declines, non-financial assets were up 1.1% in Q1, led by an uptick in the value of residential real estate. Financial assets increased by 1.3%.Household balance sheets added $148.0 billion in financial assets in Q1, and this gain was driven by net purchases of mutual fund units and higher valuations of domestic equities and investment funds amid easing valuations for foreign equity holdings, StatsCan noted.Meanwhile the seasonally adjusted stock of household credit market debt in Canada reached $3.25 trillion in Q1, the latest StatsCan data revealed. At the same time, the ratio of household credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income increased for the sixth consecutive quarter, climbing by 0.9 percentage point to 179.6% in Q1. In other words, there was roughly $1.80 in credit-market debt for every dollar of household disposable income, the agency said.The household debt service ratio, measured as total obligated payments of principal and interest on credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income, rose after two consecutive quarterly declines. The ratio finished Q1 at 14.75%, up from 14.68% in Q4 2025, as total debt payments rose 1.1% to outpace income, added StatsCan.The value of household residential real estate rose 1.3% to $8.47 trillion in Q1, despite a decline in real estate activity as measured by resales. According to the MLS House Price Index, the composite house price increased by 0.7% in the first three months of 2026; however, the number of resales declined by 8.4%. In contrast, StatsCan's New Condominium Apartment Price Index indicated that, since the first quarter of 2025, new condominium apartment prices have fallen by 5.9% in Toronto and by 2.9% in Vancouver. According to the Bank of Canada's Financial Stability Report, pressures in condominium markets, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, have created challenges for condominium owners and investors.Besides, the household saving rate fell to 3.5% in Q1 as growth in disposable income (+0.6%) lagged that in nominal household spending (+0.9%). Households continued purchasing mutual fund shares in the first quarter of 2026, registering the third-largest acquisition (+$75.3 billion) on record and following the record-high investment in the fourth quarter of 2025 (+97.1 billion) StatsCan said. In 2025, households benefitted from record-high reinvested earnings through fund investment incomes and capital gains, while in the first quarter of 2026, households focused on record net investments in exchange-traded funds.Additionally, the Bank of Montreal (BMO) noted implications of the expected negative birth rate in the country. In Canada, demographic attention has been rightly focused on the massive influx and then capping of non-permanent residents, said BMO. However, a collapse in natural population growth has been unfolding in the background. Net births are expected to turn negative for the first time ever in 2028, stated BMO. That is, more Canadians will begin to pass away than will be replaced with new babies.According to the bank, there are many causes and many longer-term implications. Among the latter, the lower labor force and potential economic growth, lower break-even job growth rates, a role for artificial intelligence to drive more productivity, mounting stress on social security funding, and an evolving housing demand curve.

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International

Update: US Equity Indexes Rise After Iran Says Peace Deal With Washington in Final Stage of Discussions

(Updates with index/price moves, analyst comment, and other information from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose amid growing expectations that the Iran interim peace deal is in the final stretch and an 19% surge in Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX) shares on its Nasdaq debut.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7% to 51,202.26, followed by a 0.5% increase in the S&P 500 to 7,431.46, and a 0.3% increase in the Nasdaq Composite to 25,888.84 on Friday. All sectors except consumer discretionary and healthcare advanced. Materials, financials, and utilities led the gainers.Iran is in the final stages of discussing the terms of an agreement with the US, CNN cited Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying in state media on Friday. "At present, understanding has been reached on the majority of issues, and we are in the final stage of internal deliberations," CNN cited Baghaei as saying."With close observation of the other side's positions, we will announce our stance according to circumstances," the spokesperson was cited as saying. "Even as I am speaking with you now, meetings among the relevant institutions are underway."Crude oil futures slumped, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent sliding 3.7% to $87.02 per barrel. The US West Texas Intermediate dropped 3.6% to $84.54 per barrel."Oil slumped after President Trump talked up another peace deal, with markets this time appearing increasingly willing to believe it may be for real, despite the lack of confirmation from Tehran," Saxo Bank said in a note. "Brent crude fell to a two-month low amid expectations of a surge in supply from tankers currently stranded in the Gulf."In precious metals, gold futures jumped 2.7% to $4,226.8, while silver futures surged 5.9% to $67.77.In company news, shares of Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX) or SpaceX closed at $160.95, 19.2% above its initial public offering price of $135, making Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire.Adobe's (ADBE) Chief Financial Officer Dan Durn's departure and fiscal 2026 organic annual recurring revenue outlook have created more uncertainty for the company, outweighing its fiscal Q2 results, RBC Capital Markets said in a note. Shares dropped 6.8%, among the worst performers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.In economic news, the University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index rose to 48.9 in June from 44.8 in May, topping expectations of 46.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. One-year inflation expectations fell to 4.6% from 4.8%, while five-year inflation expectations dropped to 3.4% from 3.9%."Even with June's early gains, however, views of the economy are still relatively dour," the University of Michigan said Friday in a statement. Consumers "feel burdened by the recent escalation in inflation and worry that higher inflation could remain stubborn going forward, particularly in the short run," the university said.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up two basis points to 4.49% and the two-year climbed 1.5 basis points to 4.09%.

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International

US Equity Markets End Higher After Iran Confirms Progress on Peace Agreement, Crude Oil Prices Fall

US equity indexes were higher on Friday after Iran confirmed discussions on a peace treaty and crude oil prices fell.* Iran is in the final stages of discussing the terms of an agreement with the US, CNN cited Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying in state media on Friday. The draft deal includes a commitment that the US will lift oil sanctions, final negotiations will not begin until half of Iran's frozen funds are released, and a US naval blockade ends, CNBC reported, citing Iran's Mehr News Agency.* The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index rose to 48.9 in June from 44.8 in May, beating expectations for 46.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.* July West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $3.27 to settle at $84.44 per barrel, while August Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $3.45 at $86.93.* Seagate Technology (STX) shares were up about 7.3%, among the top gainers on the S&P 500, after the company said its Seagate HDD Cayman unit issued a notice to redeem all outstanding 3.50% exchangeable senior notes due 2028 that have not been exchanged.* Adobe's (ADBE) CFO departure and fiscal 2026 organic annual recurring revenue outlook have created more uncertainty for the company, outweighing its fiscal Q2 results, RBC Capital Markets said in a note emailed Friday. The company's shares were down nearly 6.8%, the steepest decline on the Nasdaq.

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