Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Japan's July core CPI rose 1.8% year-over-year, matching expectations and up 0.2 percentage points from June's 1.6%.

Korean government bond futures declined in night trading on August 21 as the market reversed gains from the US Treasury's long-term buyback expansion. The 3-year bond futures fell 4 ticks to 103.18, while the 10-year futures dropped 29 ticks to 105.28, according to the Seoul Bond Market. The decline

According to Kiwoom Securities report on August 21, profit momentum in South Korea's Kospi index shifted beyond semiconductors to other sectors following the second quarter earnings season. Kospi operating profit forecasts were raised to 986 trillion won, up 5.2% from 937 trillion won at the

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

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

The USD-KRW exchange rate recovered to the mid-1,390 won range on August 21 at 6 AM, trading at 1,396.00 won, up 3.40 won from the previous Seoul market close of 1,392.60 won. The rate rebounded after falling below 1,390 won the previous day to mark a yearly low, driven by dollar strength and

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 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

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

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

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

Hana Securities maintained its 'buy' rating and 730,000 won target price for KCC stocks on August 21, projecting the company's dividend yield could reach 6.1% this year. Analyst Yoon Jae-seong stated Samsung Electronics' anticipated 120 trillion won special dividend would flow through Samsung C&T to

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 div

The Bank of Korea released its July 2026 producer price index on August 21, showing a 0.4% month-over-month decline driven by falling international crude oil prices. The index rose 7.7% compared to the same month last year. Industrial goods prices fell 0.5%, with petroleum products dropping 5.1%

Samsung Securities maintained KCC as its top pick in the sector after the company disclosed a 2026 Corporate Value Enhancement Plan on the previous trading day, formalizing potential investment asset sales and introducing a policy to redistribute over 50% of special dividends received from Samsung C

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 decli

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

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.

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