A local economic institute predicts that the declining pace of exports will slow toward the end of the year.
 
In a report published Wednesday, the Export-Import Bank of Korea estimated that exports in the fourth quarter will be nine percent less than the same quarter last year.
 
It is zero-point-five percentage points lower than the nine-point-five percent fall in the third quarter.
 
The institute said the export leading index will be 115-point-two in the fourth quarter, up by three-point-seven percent from the third quarter.
 
The export leading index projects growth by estimating the economic conditions and price competitiveness of export destinations.