SEOUL: South Korea's economic growth accelerated to its fastest in more than five years as a sharp recovery in domestic demand more than offset a drop in exports, but policymakers stopped short of saying the consumption recovery would be sustained.
Gross domestic product grew by a seasonally adjusted 1.2% in July-September versus the second quarter, Bank of Korea (BoK) data showed, quadrupling from a 0.3% quarterly rise and the fastest since the second quarter of 2010.
The dramatic rebound appeared to undermine the case for another interest rate cut soon, but some economists said the BoK could still provide additional policy easing if exports fall further.
"The contribution from consumption is growing, but I cannot pinpoint what the trend will be going forward," Jeon Seung-cheol, who heads the BoK's statistics department, told reporters.
BoK governor Lee Ju-yeol also refrained from predicting what consumption would be like in the fourth quarter when asked by reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Seoul on Friday.
The median forecast in a Reuters survey of 21 analysts was for Asia's fourth-largest economy to post growth of 1% in the third quarter, with predictions ranging from 0.6% to 1.4%.
The BoK has lowered its policy interest rate by a combined 50 basis points to 1.5% in two steps this year while a supplementary budget was passed earlier this year to cushion the impact of weak global demand.
The central bank estimated exports fell by 0.2% on-quarter in the third quarter, the first contraction in a year, while private consumption rose 1.1% after contracting by 0.2% in the April-June period, growing at the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2013.
However the consumption recovery was largely driven by pent-up demand from both households and the government following the deadly outbreak of the MERS virus in the second quarter, and may not last, analysts said. High household debt also undermines the sustainability of the spending surge.
Exports are expected to continue falling through year-end, dragged down by a slowing China, South Korea's biggest trade partner.
Both Hyundai Motor Co and sister carmaker Kia Motors Corp expressed concern this week over prolonged external uncertainties as well as rising competition as the South Korean won firms. The local currency was up 1% against the dollar early on Friday.
"As (south) Korea's output gap continues to stay negative and deflationary risk remains high, we are still calling for a rate cut of 25 bps (basis points) from December to end of Q1 2016, followed by another cut in Q2," ANZ Bank said in a note, citing uncertainties outside South Korea.
South Korea's gross domestic product rose 2.6% in the September quarter from a year earlier, beating a median forecast for a 2.5% rise in the Reuters survey and speeding up from 2.2% in the second quarter. - Reuters
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