Time now for an in-depth look at the market news on this Friday.<br />And for that, I'm joined on the line by Dr. Kim Sei-wan, professor of economics at Ewha Womans University.<br />Dr. Kim, thank you for making time today.<br />Thank you.<br />Today the finance ministry released its latest greenbook report on the economy.<br />It shows production and consumption continuing to rise, but exports and construction investment are still contracting. What stands out to you in this report?<br />Outlooks for growth in the Korean economy this year have been steadily going down. But this week, the Korea Development Institute estimated growth for next year at 2-point-3 percent, which would be an improvement. What do you think of that outlook?<br />President Trump says he'll hit China with big tariffs if they don't end up signing this phase one trade deal. What do you think will happen there?<br />Despite the uncertainty on U.S.-China trade, global stocks moved higher this week. Korean stocks too were less affected than one might've expected. The question everybody's asking how long can this go on?<br />The protests in Hong Kong seem to be getting ever more violent. Stocks there have taken a major hit, but the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is getting ready to do a secondary listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange. What do you think that's going to do to that market?<br />Alright, Dr. Kim. That's where we'll have to leave it.<br />Thanks so much for sharing your insights.<br />We appreciate it.<br />
