Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

According to KOMIS, copper spot prices on the London Metal Exchange reached a record high of $14,850 per ton on August 17, before retreating to $14,180/ton over the following two days as major commodity traders, including Trafigura, released substantial volumes. Available inventory increased from 103,075 tons on August 17 to 123,100 tons following the deliveries, marking the largest gain since April and easing the prior supply squeeze. Despite the near-term pullback, analysts at Daishin Securiti

According to Yonhap Infomax, on Aug 21, South Korea's 3-year government bond futures declined 4 basis points to 103.18 in overnight trading, while 10-year bond futures fell 29 basis points to 105.28. The decline followed weakness in the broader market despite earlier support from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's expanded long-term buyback announcement. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury yields rose across the curve, with the 10-year yield climbing 6 basis points and the 30-year yield increasing 5.7

According to Coinbase, Bitcoin surged to $72,700 on August 21 morning, jumping 5% in 24 hours and 14% over the past week. The rally was driven by a massive short squeeze, with $3.1 billion in forced liquidations recorded in the prior 24 hours—the largest scale since data tracking began in 2021, according to Coinglass. Bitcoin ETF inflows totaled $517.2 million on August 19, marking the largest single-day inflow in three-and-a-half months. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) received $284.7

According to Yonhapinfo, the U.S. dollar strengthened against the Korean won to 1,396.00 KRW on August 21, up 6.90 won from the previous day's opening. The rally reversed initial losses below 1,390 KRW following U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's announcement of expanded long-term debt buyback operations. However, rising U.S. Treasury yields quickly eroded the buyback effect, supporting dollar strength. Geopolitical tensions also contributed, with President Donald Trump announcing "deadly e

According to Guru Club, Bitcoin surged to $72,674 early on August 21 (Beijing time), up 4.42% over the past 24 hours. Ethereum also rose to $2,317.11, gaining 1.95% in the same period. The price gains follow U.S. President Trump's meeting with cryptocurrency industry executives at the White House on Wednesday, where he urged Congress to pass significant crypto legislation.

According to Barron's, RBC Capital Markets downgraded Merck (MRK-US) to market perform from outperform on Thursday (Aug. 20), lowering sentiment despite the company's stock surge on cancer vaccine progress. The stock rose nearly 13% on Wednesday following positive results from the joint Merck-Moderna cancer vaccine, hitting a record high, but fell 2% Thursday to $149.18. RBC analyst Trung Huynh raised the price target to $150 from $142, citing concerns that current valuation already reflects hea

Japan's core consumer price index (CPI) for July is scheduled to be released in 10 minutes, according to the official release calendar.

According to the Korean Exchange, South Korea's KOSDAQ market will implement a tiered segment system in the second half of 2026, dividing listed companies into Premium, Standard, and Management categories based on scale and profitability. The Premium tier will house large-cap quality firms and will be supported by dedicated indices and exchange-traded funds designed to channel institutional and foreign investor capital. Strengthened delisting standards are also accelerating. Effective July 2026,

According to Jin10 Data, China's loan prime rate (LPR) held steady on August 20, with the 1-year tenor at 3.0% and the 5-year-plus tenor at 3.5%, extending its streak to 15 consecutive months without change. The rates were announced by the People's Bank of China via the National Interbank Funding Center. Since late July, DR-based lending rates (deposit institution bond repurchase rates) have continued to be applied, with potential for further efficiency gains in LPR quote pricing ahead.

According to Hana Securities, KCC announced on August 21 a new special dividend policy linked to Samsung Electronics' anticipated 120 trillion won special dividend, potentially raising the company's dividend yield to 6.1% this year. The new policy allows KCC to distribute at least 50% of special dividends received from Samsung C&T—which it holds a 10.49% stake in—to shareholders. Under the maximum scenario, KCC's total dividend per share is estimated at 29,131 won, translating to a 6.1% dividend

According to the Bank of Korea's preliminary producer price index released on August 21, South Korea's producer prices declined 0.4% month-on-month in July 2026, while rising 7.7% year-on-year. Industrial goods prices fell 0.5%, with coal and petroleum products down 5.1% and chemical products declining 1.3%. Electricity, gas, water, and waste prices also contributed to the downward pressure, falling 0.6%.

According to Samsung Securities, on August 21, KCC announced its 2026 value enhancement plan, which includes reinvesting over 50% of special dividends received from Samsung C&T back to shareholders. The plan also incorporates investment asset monetization as an explicit shareholder return mechanism. KCC will complete treasury stock cancellations of 1.14 million shares across four phases, with the first phase completed in the second quarter and subsequent phases scheduled for the fourth quarter o

SK Hynix recorded record operating profit of 60.5 trillion won in the second quarter, up 61% from the previous quarter. Despite this historic result, the company fell short of securities consensus estimates by approximately 5%, prompting a sharp stock decline immediately after earnings disclosure. The shortfall signals a shift in market focus from absolute earnings magnitude to whether results exceed expectations, highlighting heightened investor scrutiny amid broader South Korean market volatil

According to CNBC, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said on Thursday that artificial intelligence has fundamentally altered the memory chip industry's traditionally cyclical boom-and-bust pattern. Speaking on Mad Money, Mehrotra stated that AI systems require increasingly more memory, higher performance, and lower power consumption, reshaping the value proposition for memory manufacturers. The company is investing $250 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research, with a major fab site near its Boise, I

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Russian airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital overnight of August 19-20 have killed 15 people and injured 39 others. The death toll from the large-scale attack was confirmed on August 20 afternoon via the mayor's social media statement.

The UK Gfk consumer confidence index came in at -14 in August, beating the forecast of -18 and improving from -17 in July.

The UK GfK Consumer Confidence Index came in at -14 in August, beating expectations of -18 and improving from the previous reading of -17.

The GFK consumer confidence main purchase index rose to its highest level since December 2021.

According to multiple securities firms analyzing Samsung Electronics' cash flow, the company is expected to announce detailed shareholder return plans this month based on its current 2024-2026 policy framework. With AI memory demand driving a surge in free cash flow (FCF), analysts estimate additional shareholder returns this year could exceed 100 trillion won. Looking ahead, Samsung's projected FCF for 2027-2028 combined is estimated near 720 trillion won; if the company maintains its current 5

According to CEO Jose Munoz in a CNBC interview on August 20, Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand its Georgia facility's annual capacity from 500,000 units to 700,000–800,000 units by 2028. The company will invest $26 billion in U.S. operations through 2028, with the goal of raising local production share to over 80% by 2030. Munoz noted that tariff policies from the Trump administration are accelerating localization efforts. "Tariffs are helping us speed up our localization plan," he said, addi