Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to a statement from the Brazilian government, President Lula spoke with President Trump today (August 21), opposing U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods. The two leaders discussed bilateral trade, public security cooperation, and international issues during the 80-minute conversation. Lula

The U.S. dollar experienced its worst week since late July on Friday (August 21), as the dollar index (DXY) fell 0.1% to 98.80, hovering near a three-month low, with weekly losses extending to around 0.9%. The weakness was driven by fiscal concerns and an unexpected U.S. Treasury intervention

Over the past 1.5 months, the dollar strengthened approximately 170 won against the Korean won, prompting individuals and companies to increase their dollar holdings. Individuals are taking advantage of lower dollar prices for currency trading gains, while companies are securing dollars for raw mate

According to strategists led by Alejandra Vazquez Plata at Citi, the U.S. Department of Treasury may not expand coupon-bearing debt auction sizes until February 2028. The team pushed back its previous estimate of May 2027 following an unexpected announcement by the Treasury to expand buyback

Oil prices rose on August 21 as the United States prepared to announce sweeping economic sanctions against Iran on the 24th. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for October delivery closed at $87.06 per barrel,

According to Yonhapinfomax, on August 21 (U.S. Eastern time), WTI crude oil for October delivery rose $0.23, or 0.26%, to close at $87.06 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for October gained $0.61, or 0.65%, reaching $94.39 per barrel. The U.S. Treasury Department plans to

US stock indices posted mixed results on Friday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.4%, the Nasdaq 100 gaining 0.3%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing 1%, driven by positive business-activity data from an S&P Global gauge showing the fastest growth pace in more than four years. Despite Friday's g

According to Trump on Friday, Aug 21, the U.S.-Canada trade agreement is nearly concluded and both sides are expected to reach a deal before the midnight deadline. Negotiations covering automobiles, steel, aluminum, timber, agricultural products, and spirits have made significant progress, with Cana

According to sources, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has expressed dissatisfaction with the current U.S.-Canada trade agreement draft as negotiations approach their final stage. Lutnick is reportedly pushing for modifications, specifically opposing a proposal to reduce tariffs on Canadian

Grayscale filed its fifth amendment with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday for a proposed Zcash exchange-traded fund. The filing advances the company's plan to convert its existing Zcash Trust into a spot ETF structure. If approved, the product would become the first ETF in the U

According to Grayscale's latest SEC filing on Friday (August 20), the company advanced its plans to convert its existing Zcash Trust into a spot ETF, with an annual sponsor fee set at 2.5%. The proposed Zcash ETF would list on NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol ZCH, with Bank of New York Mellon

According to Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick, Bitcoin rallied more than 20% to above $79,000 on August 21, following the U.S. Treasury's announcement on August 19 to at least double longer-dated government bond buybacks. Kendrick, in a note shared with Cointelegraph on August 21, said

Sellas Life Sciences Group Inc (SLS) stock jumped 15% on Friday, extending a rally that brought gains of nearly 21% over the past five days and marked the third consecutive week of price appreciation. The advance reflects growing investor optimism that positive developments in the broader cancer

Sellas Life Sciences Group Inc (SLS) shares jumped 15% on Friday, extending a rally driven by positive spillover from Moderna and Merck's late-stage mRNA cancer vaccine trial in melanoma. Maxim Group analysts linked the stock advance to the trial's success in prolonging recurrence-free survival

On Friday (August 21) at New York close, the U.S. 10-year benchmark Treasury yield rose 2.99 basis points to 4.7339%, while the 2-year Treasury yield climbed 5.05 basis points to 4.2359%. The 10-year yield traded between 4.6308% and 4.7458% for the week, gaining 4.18 basis points cumulatively,

According to Jin10, President Trump on August 22 denied instructing U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent to intervene in the bond market, saying "absolutely not." Trump attributed the $40 trillion national debt to problems "existing for 35 years" and stated the solution lies in "growth," adding that the

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix announced major shareholder return programs that analysts project could contribute to further declines in the won-dollar exchange rate. Samsung Electronics decided on the previous day to implement a shareholder return program of approximately 90-110 trillion won

Samsung Electronics announced a 90 trillion to 110 trillion won shareholder return plan on the 22nd, following SK Hynix's 40 trillion won treasury stock buyback announcement on the 19th. The Samsung plan, approved by the board on the previous day, follows the company's 2024-2026 three-year sharehold

Nexon announced a special dividend of 415 yen per share, totaling 324 billion yen, according to sources on the 22nd. Combined with the regular dividend of 60 yen per share, the total dividend per share for fiscal year 2026 reaches 475 yen. The company chose direct cash distribution to shareholders o

SK Hynix stocks rebounded 15.33% over two days following the company's announcement of a 40 trillion won share buyback and cancellation program on August 19. The Korean semiconductor manufacturer will purchase 24.07 million shares through November 19, representing approximately 3.3% of total