<Anchor> This
is a friendly economic time.
Today (the 22nd) I will be with reporter Han Ji-hyun.
Recently, the exchange rate has been a bit unstable, but yesterday it rose again.
<Reporter>
Yes, it is the highest level in about a month, and it ended at 1,239 won, below the 1,240 won mark.
The dollar is strengthening when you buy a dollar-dollar thing, and you have to pay more and more.
It's not just the won now.
It has risen more than 10% against the Japanese yen and more than 5% against the euro so far this year.
The value of the U.S. dollar compared to 16 countries in this way, called the Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, is the highest in two years.
Usually, when the US dollar is strong, it is a risky situation or when the US economy is good.
But now both conditions are satisfied.
After the war in Ukraine, the demand for safe assets is high.
It reflects expectations that the US economy will grow faster than other countries.
In addition, the yield on Treasury bonds hit a high in several years as the U.S. said it would raise its benchmark interest rate quickly.
Money is flowing into America.
As this situation continues for some time in the market, there is still the possibility that the exchange rate will rise.
<Anchor>
If the exchange rate rises like this, the typical importers, raw material prices, and import costs when importing will have to pay a lot, so the burden will increase again. It looks like there are a lot of things to see, but today I'm going to take a slightly microscopic approach.
Let's talk a little bit about investing.
When the exchange rate rises, there are people who lose money, but there are also people who make a profit?
<Reporter>
Yes, it is common to see people in need, for example, parents who have sent their children to study abroad.
On the other hand, there are those who have benefited from investing in dollars.
A lot of dollars were sold because the exchange rate went up, but that amounted to over 5.4 billion dollars.
It was in early January that the won-dollar exchange rate exceeded 1,200 won as of the closing date.
Since then, it has been on an upward trend, but on the 14th of last month, it broke the 1,240 won mark after 1 year and 10 months.
The high of the exchange rate is 1,250 won, no, it is 1,300 won.
At the end of last month, foreign currency deposits held by domestic companies and individuals decreased by $5.43 billion compared to the end of February.
In the case of companies, it seems that they escaped with overseas investment funds or income settlement money.
<Anchor>
Are you saying that more and more investors are investing in yen besides dollars?
<Reporter>
Yes, along with the dollar, it was a representative safe-haven asset, but the yen-dollar exchange rate also recorded a record high in recent 20 years.
As a result, more and more people are buying yen little by little to make a profit on foreign exchange.
The depreciation of the yen is due to monetary policy. While the US is 'tightening', Japan has maintained its 'easing' stance and the interest rate gap is widening.
The yen weakened as money flowed to the US with high interest rates.
While Japan is buying government bonds, if the US raises interest rates in a big step next month, the yen-dollar exchange rate could be higher.
The securities industry advised that the yen is less likely to move stronger than the won and it is no longer attractive as an investment as it is no longer considered a safe asset.
<Anchor>
Today, I will finish by pointing out one last piece of news that may be helpful to young people.
You said the government decided to subsidize the monthly rent for young people?
<Reporter>
Yes, the average monthly rent for a studio in Seoul is 500,000 won.
That's a very expensive price.
The government has decided to provide up to 200,000 won per month to young people from low-income families, a total of 2.4 million won for 12 months.
You can apply if the deposit is less than 50 million won, the monthly rent is less than 600,000 won, and the converted amount is 700,000 won or less even if the deposit is low and the monthly rent is high.
Those aged 19 to 34 must be homeless, married or single.
In addition, the income must be below 60% of the median income, which is about 1.17 million won per month for a single-person household.
This time, we also look at the parents' property, but it must be less than 380 million won.
Applications are made in late August and payments are made retroactively from November.