India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge 
Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
A project financing default for the Legoland Korea amusement park construction in Gangwon Province has triggered a series of problems that made it more difficult for big businesses to raise money, according to industry officials.
The financing woe caused concerns over the possibility of a series of bankruptcies of securities firms and builders.
Before the Gangwon provincial government created distrust in the bond market by breaching its promise to guarantee the repayment of the amusement park developer's debts, affiliates of the SK, Lotte and Hyosung groups raised money through primary collateralized bond obligations (P-CBOs) guaranteed by the state-run Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT).
As the P-CBO has been used mainly by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with lower credit ratings, its issuance by major business conglomerates has been interpreted widely as proof of setbacks in raising capital.
Despite the high credit ratings of LG Uplus and Hanwha Solutions, large proportions of their issued corporate bonds remained unsold,
Those issued by state-owned companies, such as Korea Electric Power Corp., Korea Gas Corp., Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp., and Korea Expressway Corp. also failed to attract institutional investors.
Amid the liquidity crunch, Lotte E&C borrowed 500 billion won from its affiliate, Lotte Chemical, and sold 200 billion won in newly issued shares to the chemical firm, igniting concerns over its financial stability.
According to ana Securities analyst Kim Sang-man, while conglomerates are unlikely to go bankrupt, they will face difficulties in fundraising at least in the short run.
Kim added that the market conditions will weigh further on small and mid-sized businesses already burdened with significant debt since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A survey of the nation's 600 largest companies in terms of sales showed that their outlook for fundraising by the Federation of Korean Industries' (FKI) was worse than the forecasts for profitability, investments, exports, domestic consumption, employment and inventory, due to rising interest rates and falling stock prices.
