Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Yonhapinfomax, the USD/KRW exchange rate fell to 1,386.20 on Aug 22, marking its lowest level since September 2025. Exporter selling and weak U.S. dollar flows drove the decline. Market focus this week turns to the Bank of Korea's monetary policy meeting on Aug 27, where 11 of 21

According to Yonhap Infomax, South Korea's monetary policy committee will make its August interest rate decision on August 27, with market expectations sharply divided. A survey of 21 domestic and foreign financial institutions found 11 respondents expect the benchmark rate to hold at 2.75%

Crypto asset manager Grayscale stated this week could mark a turning point for Bitcoin, following a roughly $10,000 weekly rally that lifted the cryptocurrency to $79,500 on Aug. 21. The assessment came in an Aug. 22 post on X that compared Bitcoin's current decline with four previous market

According to analyst Dan Ives in a CNBC interview, the AI memory market faces a severe supply shortage, with the supply-demand ratio reaching approximately 15:1. Ives stated that major corporations, including Apple, must now pay higher costs for memory chips as demand and prices rise

According to Goldman Sachs on Aug 23, AI trading entered a deleveraging phase similar to July's market selloff. The bank's high-beta momentum portfolio declined 12% for the week, while its AI hedge portfolio fell 10% over five days. Despite leverage levels in AI stocks retreating from extremes, mome

According to TechCrunch, Nvidia announced on August 21 a partnership with Cloverleaf Infrastructure, with the chipmaker investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the data center development company. Cloverleaf, founded in 2024 and having raised $300 million that year, acts as an intermediary

According to MarketWatch, U.S. long-term Treasury yields climbed to fresh highs on Thursday, with the 10-year yield rising to 4.69% and the 30-year yield breaking above 5%, despite the Treasury Department's announcement of expanded debt buyback operations earlier in the week. Brent crude oil

Korea Insurance Research Institute researchers Cho Young-hyun and Park Hee-woo released a report on the 23rd proposing that Korean insurers adopt funding agreement contracts to diversify funding sources beyond traditional product sales. The researchers stated this mechanism could enable insurers to

Nearly 40% of Korean companies cannot cover interest expenses with operating profits as corporate financial health deteriorates, according to a Korea Financial Research Institute report released on the 23rd. Senior researcher Koo Jung-han stated that the proportion of non-financial external audit co

Korean banks reported net profit of 13.8 trillion won in H1 2026, down 6.4% from 14.7 trillion won in the same period last year, according to provisional data released by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The decline occurred despite an 8.3% increase in interest income to 32.2 trillion won, a

According to the Financial Supervisory Service on August 23, South Korean domestic banks' net profit in the first half of 2026 fell to 13.8 trillion won, down 6.4% from 14.7 trillion won in the same period last year, a decline of approximately 900 billion won. While interest income expanded to 32.2

According to a Korea Financial Research Institute report released on August 23, the proportion of South Korean non-financial listed companies unable to cover interest expenses from operating profits rose to 39.9% last year, up from 38.5% in 2024. Additionally, the number of companies showing signs o

According to Wall Street Journal, President Trump's investment account executed over 1,000 stock trades in June 2026, including more than 550 buy orders and 450 sell orders. Trades exceeding $1 million involved Berkshire Hathaway, Visa, Mastercard, Meta Platforms, and Motorola. Since January 2025, T

Korean stock markets experienced unprecedented intraday volatility this year, with securities professionals and asset managers describing lunch-hour reversals as routine. According to Korea Exchange data, sidecar circuit breakers triggered 81 times across KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets, with KOSPI alone a

According to Yonhap Infomax and Korea Exchange, as of August 23, South Korea's KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets triggered circuit breakers 81 times in 2026, surpassing the 45 instances recorded during the 2008 global financial crisis and marking an all-time high. KOSPI alone accounted for 49 triggers (24

According to Korea Exchange, South Korea's stock market index KOSPI rebounded on August 23 as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led gains, yet trading activity declined significantly. The daily average turnover rate for listed stocks on the main board fell to 0.56% through August 21, marking a year-t

According to Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, the country exported 70 million barrels of oil over the past one to two months.

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is reviewing a plan to provide advance compensation to victims of Homeplus electronic short-term bond mis-selling before the company's rehabilitation proceedings conclude, according to materials submitted to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-jung's

According to News1 citing Financial Supervisory Service (FSC) data, on August 23, South Korea's FSC is reviewing a plan to compensate Homeplus electronic commercial paper victims prior to the completion of the retailer's rehabilitation proceedings. The approach would involve prioritizing

According to financial disclosures from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics published on August 23, Trump conducted over 1,000 securities transactions in June with a total value between $78.1 million and $263.1 million. Crypto-related transactions included selling Coinbase shares on June 12 ($15,00