Switzerland's current account surplus increased to 15.54 billion francs in the first quarter, from a downwardly revised 2.99 billion francs in the prior three-month period, the Swiss National Bank (SNBN.SW) said Tuesday.
The current account surplus totaled 26.69 billion francs in the first quarter of 2025.
South Korea's Composite Consumer Sentiment Index (CCSI) rose to 106.6 in June from 106.1 in May, according to the Bank of Korea's June Consumer Trends Survey released on Tuesday.Consumer sentiment regarding current living standards came in at 94 in June, one point higher than the preceding month, and the sentiment around the future outlook was unchanged at 97, the data showedThe survey was conducted from June 9 to 16.Consumer sentiment regarding the current domestic economic conditions in June was also three points higher than in May at 86. Meanwhile, the sentiment around the future domestic economic conditions slipped by one point from May to 92 in June.Sentiment around future household income and future household spending were both unchanged, at 100 and 110, respectively.As per the data, the expected inflation rate for the upcoming year was 2.8%, unchanged from a month earlier.
Sales at South Korea's non-financial companies rose 13.5% in the first quarter of 2026 from the previous quarter, according to data released Tuesday by the Bank of Korea.The pace of growth was sharper than the 2.5% expansion recorded between Q3 and Q4 2025.Total assets increased 4.7% from a year earlier, also faster than the 1.4% anual growth in Q4 2025.Profitability improved during the quarter, with the operating income-to-sales ratio rising to 13.2% from 6.0% a year earlier.The income-before-taxes-to-sales ratio increased to 15.4% from 7.7%.Financial stability indicators also strengthened, as the debt-to-equity ratio declined to 87% from 88.9% in the previous quarter.
New Zealand employment confidence fell 12.5 points in the June quarter to 83.1 from 95.6 in the previous quarter, the lowest reading for the survey since it started in September 2004, according to the Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence index released Tuesday.The survey revealed a widespread loss of confidence, consistent across regions, ages, and income groups, particularly highlighted by the Middle East conflict, which has brought labor market confidence to record lows.A net 60% of survey respondents indicated that finding a job is currently difficult, the lowest level since the mid-2010s.The latest reading is consistent with an expected renewed softness in the jobs market in the coming months, with the unemployment rate projected to reach a cyclical peak of 5.6% by year's end.While job advertisements have remained steady over the last few months, they are still below pre-pandemic levels.Meanwhile, workers' perception of job security also fell, hitting their lowest since the Covid lockdown, particularly among young workers who previously showed the most improvement, according to the survey.