Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to the Korea Exchange, South Korea's VKOSPI 200 volatility index closed at 55.31 on August 14, marking a 35.8% decline from July 30 when regulators raised minimum deposit requirements for single-stock leverage products from 10 million won to 30 million won. Forced liquidations in the

The Korea Exchange designated 39 companies as management stocks under strengthened delisting rules, with 9 KOSPI and 30 KOSDAQ companies affected as of the 14th. The exchange initially designated 36 stocks on the 12th, with 3 additional KOSDAQ companies added on the 13th and 14th. The government

UBS increased its exposure to call options tied to BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) by roughly 2,338% during the second quarter, according to a U.S. regulatory filing covering holdings as of June 30. The Swiss banking group reported call options covering 1.95 million underlying IBIT

According to BlockBeats, on August 17, Chinese animated film "Niu Lai" sparked social media frenzy, driving A-share stocks with "niu" (bull) characters to top-five trending list on retail trading apps, with Jinniu Chemical and Copper Bull Information leading surges. The film's box office surged

According to Red Star News, Duan Yongping's H&H International Investment disclosed Q2 2026 13F holdings totaling $191.01 billion on August 16. The portfolio of 18 companies includes top holdings in Apple ($78.4B, 41.05% of portfolio), Berkshire Hathaway B shares ($46.2B, 24.18%), and PDD

According to Michael Saylor's Aug. 16 X post, Strategy Inc.'s STRC preferred stock gained 9% over one year through Aug. 14, outpacing Bitcoin's 47% decline by 56 percentage points. The one-year return chart measured performance including cash dividends and distributions. Strategy's other preferred s

Bybit launched perpetual contracts linked to Chinese robotics company Unitree and artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI, expanding its pre-IPO derivatives lineup. The UNITREEUSDT and MOONSHOTUSDT contracts are USDT-settled derivatives that provide crypto traders with price exposure to two

According to CoinDesk, UBS significantly increased its call options exposure on BlackRock's Bitcoin spot ETF (IBIT) in Q2, raising holdings from 800,000 to 1.95 million contracts, a 24-fold increase, as reported on August 16. The Swiss bank also raised direct IBIT holdings by approximately 12% to 40

Berkshire Hathaway increased its Alphabet investment during the second quarter, holding nearly 106 million shares worth approximately $37.8 billion and making Google's parent company its third-largest stock holding. The 83% increase from roughly 57.8 million shares three months earlier was tied to a

According to a regulatory filing released Friday, Berkshire Hathaway increased its Alphabet investment in Q2 2026, lifting Google's parent company to its third-largest stock holding and ending a 14-quarter streak of net equity selling. Berkshire held nearly 106 million Alphabet shares worth

According to The Wall Street Journal, US consumer sentiment deteriorated in August as the University of Michigan's preliminary sentiment index fell to 51 from 55.2 in July, missing economists' expectations of 54.5. Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan's survey, attributed the decline t

Based on Bridgewater's Q2 2026 13F filing (through June 30), the hedge fund significantly increased its S&P 500 index ETF positions while paring back semiconductor and AI-related holdings. The fund's total 13F portfolio stood at $24.38 billion, with SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) becoming its

Bitcoin traded flat this week while traditional markets rallied significantly, with gold posting its best weekly performance since January and the S&P 500 breaking to a new all-time high on a 3.6% gain. Gold miners surged 21.3% in their strongest week since 2008, driven by cooling July CPI data

According to Bitcoin.com's Week in Review newsletter, gold posted its best week since January this week, with the gold mining ETF GDX surging 21.3% for its best week since 2008. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 broke to a new all-time high with a 3.6% weekly gain, while Bitcoin traded flat. The rally was

According to BlockBeats, on August 16, the share of U.S. Treasury bill notes in the tradable Treasury securities market reached 21%, approaching the highest level since 2020. This represents a significant increase from the 10-15% range observed between 2012 and 2019. The U.S. government is

According to U-Analyze, York Space Systems (YSS-US) on August 16 slashed its 2026 revenue guidance from $570 million to $390 million, a reduction of $180 million or 32%, citing a shift in U.S. government procurement practices. The U.S. military has moved from directly awarding large satellite and

This week, markets will focus on multiple key economic releases between August 17-21. According to market data, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will publish July meeting minutes on Wednesday (Aug 19), with investors seeking signals on September rate decisions. Current market expectations sh

According to regulatory filings submitted on August 14, Harvard Management Company holds SpaceX shares worth $2.2 billion, making it the largest single stock position in the university's $4.3 billion U.S. equity portfolio. The stake originated from early venture investments in SpaceX made over a

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted preliminary conditional approval on Thursday for World Liberty Trust Company, a national trust bank tied to World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture backed by President Donald Trump and his family. The approval clears a major step for the

According to Iran's state news agency IRNA, Iran claimed that the Strait of Hormuz could serve as leverage to end regional conflict.