Gate News message, April 23 — South Korea’s economy expanded 1.7% in the first quarter, beating the central bank’s 0.9% forecast and marking the fastest quarterly growth in five and a half years. Strong chip exports and a rebound in investment drove the expansion.
Exports rose 5.1% and imports climbed 3%, while construction investment increased 2.8% and facility investment surged 4.8%. The robust performance reflects growing demand for advanced memory chips, particularly High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) used in AI servers.
Trade patterns have shifted notably. Exports to Taiwan, home to TSMC and a hub for advanced chip packaging, reached $27.076 billion. Taiwan’s share of South Korea’s memory chip exports rose from 6% in 2020 to 28.6% last year, approaching China’s 32.7% share. The reallocation reflects growing U.S. demand for AI chips, with Nvidia and other American companies driving HBM procurement.
The HBM surge has created supply pressures. Increased production of high-margin HBM chips has tightened supplies of standard memory chips for servers, PCs, and consumer electronics, lifting prices. Dell and HP have warned of higher costs, while research firm IDC expects global smartphone shipments to fall 12.9% in 2026 and PC shipments to drop 11.3%. The Bank of Korea has maintained its base rate at 2.5% despite stronger economic activity, while external risks from Middle East tensions pose inflation and growth challenges.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Iran Blocks Strait of Hormuz After Detaining Ships; Oil Surges Above $100 as Ceasefire Tensions Escalate
Gate News message, April 23 — Iran has brought Strait of Hormuz traffic close to a standstill after firing on three ships and seizing control of two of them on Wednesday, escalating tensions around a critical global energy route. The seizures came one day after Trump extended the ceasefire while
GateNews31m ago
Kalshi Launches Commodities Hub With Pyth as Data Provider for Oil, Gold, and Lithium Markets
Gate News message, April 23 — Prediction market platform Kalshi has partnered with crypto oracle protocol Pyth as a data provider for its newly launched Commodities Hub, an interface enabling users to trade binary options on commodities including Brent crude oil, gold, lithium, and soybeans. Pyth wi
GateNews2h ago
Singapore's Inflation Accelerates to 1.8% in March Amid Rising Petrol and Retail Prices
Singapore’s March inflation rose to 1.8% y/y, led by petrol, retail goods, and services; core at 1.7%. MAS lifted the 2026 forecast to 1.5–2.5% and tightened policy amid higher energy prices.
Abstract: This brief analyzes Singapore’s inflation trajectory in March, highlighting headline inflation at 1.8% y/y and core at 1.7%, driven by higher petrol, retail, and services costs. It notes MAS’s upgrade of the 2026 inflation forecast to 1.5–2.5% and a tighter policy stance, with electricity tariffs expected to rise due to energy price pressures.
GateNews3h ago
Guangdong Electricity Prices Double as Iran War Chokes LNG Supply
China's Guangdong province, an industrial hub comparable in size to South Korea, has experienced electricity spot prices nearly double due to constrained natural gas supply from the Middle East, according to Bloomberg. Spot rates climbed to nearly 680 yuan (S$112) per megawatt-hour on April 14 – a t
CryptoFrontier5h ago
Whale 0xb58 Posts $1.4M Unrealized Gains on BRENTOIL Long, $2.2M Loss on SOL Short
Gate News message, April 23 — A whale wallet address 0xb58 is currently holding a 3x leveraged long position in BRENTOIL with over $1.4 million in unrealized gains, according to Onchain Lens monitoring.
Simultaneously, the same whale maintains a 3x leveraged short position in SOL, which is
GateNews5h ago
The extension of the Iran-Iraq ceasefire affects inflation expectations, and gold prices rebound after falling for two straight days
While the Iran-Iraq ceasefire has been extended, the deadlock in the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved. Energy risks have pushed Brent crude oil prices above $100, lifting inflation expectations. Spot gold steadied after a streak of declines, trading at about $4,733; ETF flows have been moving in for three straight weeks, indicating demand for safe-haven assets alongside fundamental support. With lower leveraged trading volume and capital concentration, institutions are dynamically adjusting their gold allocations. If it approaches $4,850, profit-taking sell pressure could emerge, and the market may see short-term fluctuations.
ChainNewsAbmedia7h ago
