Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Korean Air and Jeju Air are expected to see second-half financial improvements as the won-dollar exchange rate fell into the 1,300s on August 21, trading at 1,389.60 won per dollar as of 9 a.m. Seoul time. The rate decline reduces foreign currency debt burdens and dollar-denominated costs for fuel a

According to Tom Lee, head of Fundstrat Global Advisors, per CNBC on August 20, the S&P 500 is expected to reach 7,900–8,000 by end of August, implying 2.5–4% upside from recent levels. Lee projects accelerating upward momentum entering Q4 despite recent market consolidation from rising global

According to the People's Bank of China, today the central bank conducted 95 billion yuan in 7-day reverse repurchase operations at a fixed rate of 1.40%, with full subscription matched at 100%. The rate remains unchanged from previous operations.

South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-chul affirmed on August 21 that the nation's external financial soundness remains solid despite a quarterly decline in net external financial assets. Speaking at a market monitoring meeting held at the Korea Federation of Banks in

Yonhap Infomax surveyed 21 domestic and foreign financial institutions on the 21st regarding the Bank of Korea's Monetary Policy Committee base rate decision next week, revealing sharply divided expert opinion. Of 21 respondents, 11 forecast the base rate will remain frozen at 2.75%, while 10

On August 21, 2026, China's interbank foreign exchange market fixed the yuan mid-rate at 6.7817 per U.S. dollar, down 9 pips indicating yuan depreciation. The euro moved to 7.8906 yuan, up 91 pips, while sterling strengthened to 9.2101 yuan, up 308 pips. The Japanese yen adjusted to 4.2516 yuan per

According to South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yoon-cheol, the won-to-dollar exchange rate today (August 21) re-entered the 1,300 KRW level for the first time in 11 months, driven by record current account surplus and easing foreign investor stock rebalancing. Koo emphasized that while

According to Yonhapinfomax's survey of 21 financial institutions on August 21, South Korea's central bank faces divided forecasts ahead of next week's monetary policy decision. Eleven respondents predict the benchmark rate will hold at 2.75%, while ten expect a 25 basis point increase to

I. Headline Narrative: “Revalidation” of mRNA Vaccines Ignites a Biotech Revaluation Rally The biggest narrative in global markets this week was that the Phase III clinical trial of the mRNA melanoma vaccine jointly developed by Moderna and Merck reached its primary endpoint. When combined with Keytruda, the vaccine significantly reduced the risks of recurrence and metastasis. This marks the second major validation of the mRNA technology platform after COVID-19 vaccines, and its significance ext

Brent crude oil reached $92 per barrel today, up 0.32% in intraday trading.

South Korea's Deputy Governor of the Central Bank stated recently that the Korean won exchange rate will fundamentally face a downward trend.

Grain Management has requested preliminary offers by the first week of September for 800 MHz spectrum licenses recently acquired from T-Mobile, with AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) and SpaceX (SPCX) reportedly emerging as potential bidders. The licenses cover 3,224 counties spanning nearly the entire U.S. po

According to CoinDesk, macro strategist Mark Connors said the U.S. Treasury's planned long-term bond repurchases—potentially reaching $100-300 billion monthly—could become a key catalyst for Bitcoin, easing macro pressures that have weighed on crypto markets. The development prompted Connors to

According to BlockBeats, on August 21, legendary investor Stanley Druckenmiller has significantly increased his holdings in the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP), signaling a bet that market breadth in U.S. equities is expanding. Unlike the traditional cap-weighted S&P 500 index, RSP

Bitcoin and Korean crypto-related stocks surged on local time as Bitcoin reached $72,812, marking a 6.2% gain in 24 hours. The rally followed Trump's call for expedited passage of the CLARITY Act, which would classify sufficiently decentralized cryptocurrencies as digital commodities under CFTC

According to BlockBeats, on August 21, Federal Reserve officials downplayed concerns that damage to policy credibility was driving the sharp Treasury sell-off, which pushed long-term yields to their highest level since 2007. San Francisco Fed President Beth Hardin and St. Louis Fed President

Bitcoin rebounded further to $73,783 on Friday, August 21, surging from Wednesday’s low of below $65,000. On August 19, the U.S. Treasury announced an expansion of buybacks for 10- to 30-year Treasury bonds. After the announcement, long-term yields fell and the dollar weakened, making interest-bearing government bonds less attractive relative to stocks, gold, and cryptocurrencies. Policy Details of the U.S. Treasury’s Expanded Treasury Buybacks On August 19, the U.S. Treasury announced that it w

According to Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev in a CNBC interview, the company launched its own blockchain approximately one month ago with 190 tokenized U.S. stocks now live. The platform supports 24/7 trading and operates across 120 countries, allowing users to transfer stocks on-chain like Bitcoin. Tenev

According to Korea Exchange, Kakao fell 6.2% to 36,300 Korean won on August 21, 9:54 a.m., amid reports of potential governance restructuring and holding company conversion. The company is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting with employees on the same day, though specific agenda details have not

Taiwan's Weighted Stock Index opened with little change today (August 21), trading at 44,923.34 points.