Core Insights - South Korea is experiencing a "dual super cycle" driven by the AI chip boom and a structural shortage in real estate, leading to significant economic implications [1][2][5] Semiconductor Super Cycle - The global semiconductor industry is entering a structural upturn driven by AI computing and cloud infrastructure, with HBM and high-end DRAM supply constraints supporting prices and extending the cycle [4][10] - The semiconductor export surge is expected to result in a current account surplus of $164 billion by 2026, accounting for 7.6% of GDP, which is a historical high [18][23] Real Estate Market Dynamics - The real estate market in Seoul is entering a new super cycle, with apartment prices rising 7.2% year-to-date, significantly outpacing the national average of 0.5% [11][14] - A drastic decline of nearly 40% in new housing starts since 2022 has created a supply cliff, contributing to panic buying in the real estate market [12][13] Economic Growth Projections - Nomura has raised its GDP growth forecast for South Korea from 1.9% to 2.3% for 2026, driven by the wealth effect from rising asset prices [6][23] - The liquidity influx from semiconductor exports is translating into asset price inflation across various categories [6][18] Investment Strategies - The Bank of Korea (BOK) is expected to maintain the policy rate at 2.50%, limiting further rate cuts despite strong economic growth and rising asset prices [3][23] - Investment strategies include focusing on capital-intensive tech stocks, particularly in the semiconductor sector, and benefiting from the consumer recovery in the automotive sector due to recent tariff agreements [20][22]

Group 1 - The Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions have systemic impacts on global asset pricing through liquidity expansion, interest rate transmission, and cross-border capital flows [1] - The report categorizes interest rate cut cycles into preventive cuts (to address economic slowdown risks) and rescue cuts (to respond to crises or recessions), highlighting the differences in market expectations and asset reactions [1] Group 2 - Equity assets respond to dollar rate cuts based on the nature of the cycle and economic fundamentals, showing a "liquidity first, earnings verification" transmission path with significant differentiation across market sectors [2] - In developed markets, U.S. stocks, particularly tech stocks, lead the rebound during preventive cut cycles, while during rescue cut cycles, markets experience phases of panic decline, liquidity recovery, and earnings recovery [3][4] - Emerging market stocks, particularly Chinese assets, show a pattern of "external catalysis, internal determination," with U.S. rate cuts alleviating depreciation pressure on the yuan and attracting foreign capital [5][6] Group 3 - Fixed income assets are core beneficiaries of dollar rate cut cycles, with performance differences arising from interest rate sensitivity, credit risk, and market liquidity [8] - U.S. Treasury yields exhibit a "short-end follows policy, long-end reflects expectations" characteristic, with short-term yields closely tracking policy rates during cut cycles [9] - Emerging market bonds benefit from U.S. monetary easing and yield spread advantages, with significant inflows into Chinese bonds during the current cycle [10] Group 4 - Commodity responses to dollar rate cuts show significant differentiation, with precious metals benefiting from liquidity and safe-haven demand, while industrial metals depend on economic cycles and supply-demand dynamics [13] - Gold is identified as a "certainty winner" during rate cut cycles, with its price driven by real interest rates, the dollar index, and safe-haven demand [14] - Energy prices are indirectly influenced by rate cuts, primarily driven by supply-demand relationships, with oil prices fluctuating based on economic expectations [15] Group 5 - The dollar's exchange rate is reshaped by rate cuts, with the dollar index's performance influenced by the nature of the cuts and relative economic strength [16] - Major developed currencies like the euro and yen are affected by their respective central bank policies, while emerging market currencies, particularly the yuan, show resilience due to domestic economic policies [18] Group 6 - Alternative assets exhibit varied performance during rate cut cycles, reflecting their hybrid equity-debt characteristics and sensitivity to liquidity [19] - REITs benefit from lower financing costs and attractive capitalization rates relative to bond yields during rate cut cycles, showing strong performance in recovery phases [20] - Cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, are highly volatile and sensitive to liquidity conditions, with significant price movements observed during periods of monetary easing [21] Group 7 - The core规律 of asset performance indicates that the type of rate cut cycle determines the leading assets, with preventive cuts favoring risk assets and rescue cuts initially benefiting safe-haven assets [22] - The current cycle in 2025 is characterized as preventive easing, with a focus on technology stocks and Chinese assets, while traditional asset performance patterns may be disrupted by global economic differentiation [23][24]