Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

WTI crude oil reached $85 per barrel, gaining 0.90% during the session on August 20.

On August 20, South Korea's KOSPI index rose 381.41 points, or 5.89%, to close at 6,852.58 after three consecutive days of losses. The rally was fueled by expanded shareholder return initiatives from semiconductor giants SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. The buying circuit breaker was triggered

According to Jin10, the Nikkei 225 index surged on Thursday (Aug 20) as U.S. measures to stabilize bond markets lifted investor sentiment. Of 225 components, 182 advanced, 42 declined, and 1 was flat. Sumitomo Metal Mining led gains with a 10.76% jump, followed by Sumitomo Pharma at 8.48%. Kansai

According to Shanghai Futures Exchange data released on August 20, most base metals warehouse receipts declined on a day-on-day basis. Copper futures receipts fell by 3,619 tons to 53,079 tons, while aluminum receipts decreased by 5,305 tons to 285,231 tons. Zinc receipts dropped 1 ton to 115,060 to

According to Jin10 Futures, on August 20, pulp futures warehouse inventory on Shanghai Futures Exchange increased by 81 tons to 373,986 tons compared to the previous trading day. Factory warehouse inventory remained at 20,000 tons. Inventory levels for other energy and chemical futures including

According to Caifuanshuo, on August 20, China's three major indices closed mixed after intraday volatility, with the ChiNext Index rising 0.64%, Shenzhen Component Index up 0.59%, and Shanghai Composite Index gaining 0.24%. Nearly 4,100 stocks advanced across the market. Total trading volume

According to Jin10 Data, Eurozone government bond yields fell on August 20 following the U.S. Treasury's decision to expand its long-term government debt repurchase program. German government bonds showed signs of stabilization, with strategist Erik Liem at Commerzbank noting that the German debt se

Kakao Pay and Kakao stocks rose sharply on the morning of the 20th following US President Donald Trump's call for congressional passage of the CLARITY Act digital asset legislation. As of 10:55 AM on the 20th, Kakao Pay

Spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the U.S. reported $517.19 million in net inflows on Wednesday, marking the largest single-day inflow since May 4. Eight of 12 bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows, led by BlackRock's IBIT with $284.7 million, Ark & 21Shares' ARKB with $77.7 million, and Fidelity's

At noon trading on August 20, China's futures market closed with more gainers than losers among main contracts. Shanghai silver and platinum surged over 4%, asphalt climbed nearly 3%, while Shanghai gold, natural rubber, palladium, polysilicon and rapeseed oil gained over 2%. Palm oil rose nearly 2%

According to Farside Investors, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $164.2 million in net inflows on August 19, extending their positive streak following $297.5 million on August 17 and $189.3 million on August 18. ARK 21Shares' ARKB led the inflows with $77.7 million, followed by Bitwise's BITB at $35.6 mil

According to Jin10, spot platinum fell 0.79% and spot palladium declined 0.94% as of 3 p.m. Beijing time on August 20.

According to JPMorgan Chase on August 20, SK Hynix may provide additional $130 billion in shareholder returns by 2027. The South Korean chipmaker announced a 40 trillion won ($29 billion) stock repurchase plan and raised its shareholder payout commitment to at least 50% of cumulative free cash

South Korea's KOSPI index surged 5.9% on August 20, driven by foreign net buying of 1.7 trillion won and a rally in semiconductor stocks. SK Hynix announced a major shareholder return program, triggering broad gains across large-cap chipmakers. The KOSDAQ index rose approximately 2%, with Altogen

According to Jin10, spot gold retreated on Thursday (Aug 20) after rallying overnight, dropping 0.6% to around $4,490 per ounce. The pullback came as investors locked in profits following positive U.S. Treasury liquidity news. Gold had earlier climbed to $4,525/oz, marking its highest level since

According to Jin10 and Iraq's Oil Ministry spokesperson Salim Rikami on August 20, Iraq plans to construct a new oil pipeline from the Basra oilfield through Hadithah to Syria's Banias and Turkey's Ceyhan ports, with a projected construction timeline of 2 to 3 years following agreement signing.

EUR/USD rose 0.1% to 1.1687, marking its highest level since May 14.

According to News Tomato, the Korean won-dollar exchange rate returned to the 1,390 won level on August 20 morning, as the stronger dollar trend that had persisted over the past three months showed signs of stabilizing. The currency pair has declined 117.8 won (7.81 percent) in the past three months

SK Hynix could return a minimum of 180 trillion won to shareholders by 2027, separate from its recently announced 40 trillion won share buyback and cancellation program, according to JP Morgan analyst Jay Kwon. The projection, disclosed in a report on the 20th and covered by Bloomberg, is based on t

According to Bank of America's August 19 report, Marvell signed a warrant agreement with Google for custom chip collaboration valued at up to $120 billion in cumulative purchases, with Marvell receiving approximately 60 million shares. While the market worried about Broadcom's TPU supply share,