Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, as of August 27, domestic market credit trading balances surged 4.39 trillion Korean won to 33.33 trillion won in a month, with 82.8% of the increase concentrated in the KOSPI (South Korea's benchmark equity index), reaching 26.48 trillion won

Since early 2025, the Trump administration has executed roughly 30 equity and quasi-equity transactions totaling nearly $27 billion, converting federal grants and loan authorities into direct ownership

According to Korea Investment & Securities, reported by Korean Economic TV, high-net-worth investors (with average account balances of 1 billion won and above) net purchased 36.82 billion won of Samsung

According to Jin10, China Gold reported H1 2026 net profit of 2.79 billion yuan, down 12.35% year-over-year, on August 30. Operating revenue reached 248.996 billion yuan, declining 19.93% YoY. The company proposed a cash dividend of 0.92 yuan per 10

According to Seoul Economic, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service discovered on August 30 that 88 leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds—which cannot be purchased through pension savings accounts—were incorrectly listed as "available for sale" on its comparative disclosure platform.

According to Seoul Econ, personal investors in South Korea channeled 114 billion Korean won into gold ETFs over the past month, with bullion ETF returns reaching 8% as international gold prices hit $4,508 per ounce on August 28. The ACE KRX Gold Bullion and TIGER KRX Gold Bullion ETFs gained 8.01% a

According to Korea Exchange data, preferred shares significantly underperformed common shares on August 30 following the Bank of Korea's decision to raise its benchmark interest rate to 3.00% on August 27. Over the subsequent two trading days, Samsung Electronics' preferred stock fell 5.08%,

According to Mirae Asset Securities, on August 30, SK Telecom's target stock price was raised 25% to 150,000 KRW from 120,000 KRW, with enterprise value revalued at 32.3 trillion KRW. The increase reflects new AI infrastructure prospects following SK Horizon's valuation at 6.3 trillion KRW, with 80%

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, BlackRock's stock surged 23% over the past two months as the world's largest asset manager expanded beyond traditional equities and bonds into private credit, infrastructure, and digital assets. BlackRock's assets under management (AUM) exceeded $15 trillion in

According to Korea Exchange data through August 28, the KOSDAQ Global index rose 10% since the beginning of 2026, significantly outperforming the broader KOSDAQ index, which fell 9.4% over the same period. The KODEX KOSDAQ Global ETF and TIGER KOSDAQ Global ETF, which track the KOSDAQ Global index,

According to Odaily and newsis, South Korea's financial regulator raised the minimum deposit requirement for single-stock leveraged ETFs from 10 million to 30 million won on July 31, triggering a sharp withdrawal from retail investors. Trading volume for 16 products linked to Samsung Electronics and

According to Chosun Biz, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service will conduct a comprehensive inspection of Mirae Asset Securities next month, focusing on potential improper sales practices during the SpaceX initial public offering in June. The regulator is investigating whether the brokerage im

According to Fundstrat's Mark Newton, NVIDIA's recent market performance, coupled with global liquidity conditions, has altered the market landscape across asset classes. NVIDIA, the world's largest company by market value, is trading at $217.55 with a market cap estimated at $5.3-5.5 trillion.

According to reports, World Liberty Trust Company received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on August 14 to organize as a national trust bank. The proposed institution is backed by investors with ties to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's

According to industry reports, on August 27, Mirae Asset Asset Management launched its first tokenized covered call ETF in Hong Kong, partnering with Citi and blockchain platform OSL. The Global X HSCEI Covered Call Active ETF tokenized class enables investors to hold and trade fund shares as

According to Ki Young Ju, founder and CEO of Cryptoquant, on Aug. 27, bitcoin's bull cycle peak could be driven by institutional capital and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) outside the United States. Ju highlighted South Korea as an example of barriers to wider adoption, noting the country lacks spot b

According to the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the organization is demanding a total ban on stablecoin rewards ahead of the September 15 Senate vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. ICBA CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey stated there is "no middle ground" on the issue, and the dema

According to Samsung Securities analyst Kim Jong-min, South Korea's KOSPI declined 1.79% last week (as of August 30), while KOSDAQ rose 4.55%, as the market remains range-bound in the absence of near-term momentum drivers. The trading band for this week is expected between 6,400 and 7,500, with

According to The Edaily, on August 2, G7 countries face an additional $16 billion in debt financing costs as global government bond yields rise following the Iran-U.S. conflict. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven energy prices higher, intensifying inflation concerns and increasing

On Aug. 27, Ki Young Ju, CEO of Cryptoquant, predicted that Bitcoin's bull cycle peak could be driven by institutional capital and exchange-traded funds outside the United States. Ju cited South Korea as an example, noting the country lacks a spot Bitcoin ETF and retail investors cannot access