Samsung expects record earnings

Samsung Electronics, the brightest child of the massive South Korean conglomerate (Samsung Group chaebol) is due to track the phenomenal quarter of its competitor, Apple. The company announced revenues of $40 billion with a quarterly profit of $5.15 billion, beating analyst estimates of $5 billion, on accounts of higher smartphone, tablets, and TV sales. Analysts believe that Samsung won back the title of market leader in terms of volumes on the smartphones market from Apple, selling 44 million devices.

Monetary policy case study: South Korea vs Japan

The picture may be four years old, but it does a great job of showing the South-Korean eagerness to take Japan`s place as high-end apparel exporter. While most of the eyes focus on the miraculous growth story of China, the economic power of South Korean business conglomerates (formally called chaebols) is ever-increasing at the expense of their Japanese counterparts (named keiretsu). This is because South Korean companies have a fortunate advantage in the relative weakness of their national currency.