Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Elon Musk predicted the emerging space economy would grow far beyond Goldman Sachs' $1.8 trillion forecast, triggering investor focus on AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), Rocket Lab (RKLB), Intuitive Machines (LUNR) and Redwire (RDW). On Tuesday, ASTS fell 6%, LUNR declined 5%, while RKLB and RDW each

According to Jin10, Ethiopia's central bank has deployed $2.2 billion since the beginning of 2026 to defend the birr, with last week's intervention alone attracting four times the bid volume. The currency has depreciated 3.2% year-to-date, reaching a historic low of 1 USD to 162 birr, making it

According to Bashkortostan's regional governor, an oil refinery in the region caught fire on-site but sustained minor losses. Production is expected to resume within days.

NH Nonghyup Life and Mirae Asset Life face differing vulnerabilities as South Korean 30-year government bond yields recently reached record highs, with market focus turning to the insurers' K-ICS (Korean Insurance Capital Standard) solvency ratios. NH Nonghyup Life's K-ICS stood at 374.56%

Korean insurance companies face reduced buying capacity for ultra-long-term government bonds despite historically cheap valuations, as a negative feedback loop emerges in the market. On the 18th, bond market sources indicated that the traditional buying mechanism for ultra-long bonds has been

Hanwha Life and Samsung Life show improved solvency ratios under rising interest rates according to May 19 regulatory disclosures. Hanwha Life's KICS ratio rises from 157.5% to 160% with a 50 basis point rate increase despite having longer asset duration than liability duration. The improvement

According to Yonhapinfomax analysis on August 19, more than half of South Korea's eight major life insurers saw K-ICS capital adequacy ratios deteriorate despite a 150 basis point surge in 30-year Treasury yields since early 2026. When rates rise 50 basis points, five insurers—NH Nonghyup

According to Korea Exchange data released on August 19, net profit of 634 KOSPI-listed companies (excluding financial sector) surged 333.30% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, reaching 386.67 quadrillion won. Operating profit rose 254.15% to 388.15 quadrillion won. Semiconductor leaders

According to bond market participants, South Korean insurance companies reduced their purchases of ultra-long-term government bonds on August 18, despite 30-year Treasury yields hitting historic highs. The pullback stems from worsening K-ICS capital ratios (a regulatory solvency measure) caused by u

According to Bitget, SK Hynix stock declined 10% in late trading on August 19.

According to Yonhap Infomax, on August 19, South Korean life insurers demonstrated divergent responses to rising interest rates in their solvency ratios. Hana Financial Life's KICS (capital adequacy ratio) was estimated to improve 2.5 percentage points—from 157.5% to 160%—in a 50 basis point

Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya on Tuesday, August 18, maintained a buy rating on Nvidia and set a price target of $350, suggesting the stock is trading at a 34%-50% discount to its intrinsic value based on free cash flow analysis. Nvidia closed down 2.34% at $219.74 on Tuesday as AI stocks

Costco Wholesale Corp. and SCAN Health Plan announced a partnership to develop Medicare insurance products for Costco members. The warehouse retailer and the nonprofit Medicare Advantage provider plan to offer a suite of healthcare products aimed at older adults, pending regulatory approval. Ron

Costco and SCAN Health Plan announced Tuesday a partnership to develop Medicare insurance products for eligible Costco members. The nonprofit Medicare Advantage provider and warehouse retailer plan to offer redesigned pharmacy experiences, over-the-counter benefits, vision coverage, and hearing

According to Taiwan Economic Daily, TSMC's advanced packaging CoWoS capacity is fully booked, with orders being redirected to Intel's Malaysia manufacturing facility to support shared customers. This marks a departure from conventional ecosystem practices. The move reflects the production

According to Jin10, major foreign exchange options including EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and AUD/USD are set to expire today at 22:00 UTC+8 (Beijing time), with 2 large strikes priced above 1 billion notional value.

According to Cointelegraph, prediction market platform Kalshi has filed an application with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to launch stock index perpetual futures products. The offering will enable traders to establish leveraged long or short positions on major stock indices wi

The UK Retail Price Index (RPI) for July came in at 3.2% year-on-year, falling short of the 3.3% forecast while climbing from the previous month's 3.0%.

The UK's July harmonized consumer price index (CPI) rose to 3.1% year-over-year, meeting market expectations and up from 2.8% in June.

The UK's core inflation rate (CPI excluding food and energy) reached 0.2% on a monthly basis in July, exceeding the forecast of 0.1% and declining from the previous month's 0.3%.