Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds listed in the U.S. extended their recovery on Tuesday, August 18, with the two categories drawing a combined approximately $369 million in net inflows as institutional demand concentrated heavily in BlackRock and Fidelity products. Spot Bitcoin ETFs

Korea Investment & Securities and Samsung Securities avoided sanctions for naked short-selling violations after South Korea's Financial Services Commission ruled in June that erroneous stock purchases corrected within the prescribed deadline do not constitute illegal short-selling. The ruling

The USD/KRW exchange rate fell to 1,397.7 won at 3:30 PM on the 19th, marking an 11-month low since September 24 last year. The decline was driven by export companies selling dollars and market expectations that the US Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates next month. The rate dropped 14.1 w

On Aug 19, gold T+D on Shanghai Gold Exchange closed down 0.97% at 944.95 yuan per gram, while silver T+D declined 3.74% to 15,399 yuan per kilogram.

According to Yonhap Infomax, South Korea's 30-year government bond yields reached an all-time high on August 19, surging over 200 basis points since Lee Jae-myung took office 14 months ago. The yields had stood at around 2.7% when the current administration began, according to Park Soo-young, a

VanEck reported that eight of 12 signals in its Bitcoin capitulation dashboard were firing as of 12 August, according to analysts Patrick Bush, Matthew Sigel, and Griffin MacMaster in the firm's Mid-August 2026 Bitcoin ChainCheck. All 12 signals had reached their capitulation zone at some point in t

Netmarble increased its stake in Coway to 26.96% after purchasing 138,500 ordinary shares on the market, the company disclosed on the 19th. The acquisition occurred over five consecutive trading days from the 12th to the 19th, with 27,700 shares purchased daily at an average price of ₩96,616 per sha

According to BlockBeats, on August 19, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.75%, marking its highest level since January 2025, while the 20-year yield climbed to approximately 5.28%. The ongoing rally in longer-dated U.S. debt reflects growing market concerns over the nation's expanding

TruGolf Holdings has agreed to acquire Polymath Research Inc. through the amalgamation of its Canadian subsidiary with the blockchain technology company, announced August 18, 2026. The transaction, unanimously approved by both companies' boards, is designed to combine TruGolf's public-market

According to Farside Investors and Trader T, on August 18, Bitcoin and Ether spot ETFs recorded combined net inflows of approximately $369 million, extending their recovery after recent redemptions. Bitcoin ETFs attracted $297.5 million, with BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) accounting

According to Yonhapinfomax, Netmarble increased its stake in Coway on August 19 by acquiring 138,500 shares at an average price of 96,616 won per share, totaling approximately 13.35 billion won. The purchases were made over five consecutive trading days ending August 19, with 27,700 shares

According to VanEck analysts Patrick Bush, Matthew Sigel, and Griffin MacMaster, 8 of 12 capitulation signals in the firm's Bitcoin dashboard were firing as of August 12, with all 12 signals reaching their capitulation zone at some point over the prior three months. Bitcoin closed on August 11 at $6

According to FOIZ data, as of August 17, Fujairah port's total refined oil inventories rose to 7.752 million barrels, up 1.445 million barrels week-over-week. Light distillates declined 282,000 barrels to 931,000 barrels, while middle distillates decreased 26,000 barrels to 1.471 million barrels.

According to an announcement on August 18, 2026, TruGolf Holdings agreed to acquire Polymath Research Inc. through the amalgamation of its Canadian subsidiary, enabling Polymath to become one of the early Layer-1 blockchain companies to enter public markets while TruGolf retains its Nasdaq

According to Jin10, the People's Bank of China set the 7-day reverse repo operation volume to zero on August 19, marking seven consecutive working days with zero allocations since August 11. The central bank's overnight reverse repo operations, announced on August 12, have all been completed with da

According to the Financial Investment Association, investor deposits at South Korean brokerages reached 104.755 trillion won on August 18, up 4.0447 trillion won from August 14, as the KOSPI recovered above the 7,000-level mark during the trading

According to Korea Exchange, the KOSPI index remained stuck around the 6,000 level on August 19, a month after oscillating between 5,000 and 7,000 points. The index retreated from 7,000 due to rising global long-term interest rates and persistent foreign investor selling

According to Herald Economics, on August 19, Hanwha Aerospace rose 2.71% after being selected as a prototype supplier for the U.S. Army's next-generation wheeled self-propelled howitzer program. The selection is expected to lead to future large-scale production

Indonesia's 7-day reverse repo rate held steady at 5.75% on August 19, matching both the market expectation and the previous rate. The unchanged rate reflects stable monetary policy positioning by Bank Indonesia.

According to Korea Exchange, entertainment-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) reached the lowest performance rankings on August 19, with ACE KPOP FOCUS declining 8.42% during the week of August 12-18. The top three worst-performing ETFs over the past seven days were all entertainment-related