S. Korea's economy may grow 5.5 pct in 2010

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's economy is likely to grow 5.5 percent
next year on expectations of a continued depreciation of the local currency and
China's growth, a brokerage said Monday.

The forecast by Nomura Securities Co. is more optimistic than the Korean
government's and the Bank of Korea's prediction of 5 percent growth for next
year.
Nomura expected that the Bank of Korea will start raising its benchmark interest
rate in June next year.
Early this month, the nation's central bank held its base rate steady at 2
percent for a 10th consecutive month, but Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Seong-tae
signaled that the central bank could begin raising rates in early to mid-2010.
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