Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

NH Investment & Securities raised its target price for S-Oil stocks by 27.3% to 210,000 won, citing favorable refining industry conditions lasting longer than anticipated. Analyst Choi Young-kwang attributed the upgrade to sustained strength in refining margins amid tight supply and structural

KOSPI closed at 6687.21 on September 4, up 107.73 points or 1.64%, while KOSDAQ rose 23.29 points or 2.95% to 813.50, according to Newsis. The rally occurred despite US markets declining on September 4 (local time) following stronger-than-expected August employment data that raised interest rate

iM Securities researcher Kim Jun-young released a report on September 7 stating that rising interest rates do not inherently create a negative environment for stocks, despite recent volatility in global government bond yields. Kim explained the current rate increases accompany rising nominal

Kookil Paper Manufacturing Co. closed at 3,530 won on the 4th, down 9.1% from its May 20 listing price of 3,885 won following a stock consolidation that eliminated its penny stock status. The specialty

According to NH Investment & Securities report on September 7, domestic AI platforms, services, and secondary battery stocks are expected to become leading market sectors as volatility subsides following July's correction. Analyst Na Jung-hwan noted that July's decline stemmed from excess

According to NH Investment & Securities on September 7, the investment firm raised its target price for S-Oil (010950) from 165,000 won to 210,000 won, citing extended favorable refining industry conditions driven by strong refining margins and structural weakness in crude oil official selling price

According to iM Securities analyst Kim Jun-young on September 7, rising global bond yields do not create a negative environment for equities themselves, despite increased market volatility. Kim argued that the level of interest rates relative to nominal growth matters more than absolute rate

According to Newsis, on September 4 (New York time), U.S. non-farm employment data came in at 162,000 new jobs, far exceeding the market expectation of 53,000, raising concerns about potential Federal Reserve rate hikes to combat inflation. The stronger-than-expected employment report sent major U.S

According to Korea Investment & Securities, air cargo fares and shipping rates exceeded market expectations in the third quarter of 2026 despite Middle East tensions. Korean Air's cargo fares rose over 30% in July and August alone, supported by strong AI-related demand. The China Container Freight I

According to Securities Daily, China natural rubber futures surged to record highs on Sept 1 and 3, with the RU2701 contract reaching 19,105 yuan per ton on Sept 1, marking its highest level since December 10, 2024, and the NR2611 contract touching 16,115 yuan per ton on Sept 3. Spot markets

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix stocks rallied on May 4th following Nomura Securities' assessment that both companies are severely undervalued relative to intrinsic value. Samsung closed at 255,000 won, up 2.20%, while SK Hynix finished at 1,647,000 won, up 3.20%, according to Yonhap Infomax

The dollar-won 1-month non-deliverable forward (NDF) closed at 1,344.80 won on the night of September 4, down 5.15 won from the previous Seoul session close of 1,350.40 won after adjusting for swap points, according to overseas brokers. The decline came as the US dollar strengthened following

According to Nomura Securities, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix maintained buy ratings on September 4 with price targets of 670,000 won and 4.7 million won respectively—more than double current trading levels. The brokerage noted the semiconductor makers have entered severely undervalued

According to Yonhapinfomax, the dollar-won 1-month forward contract fell to 1,344.80 Korean won overnight on September 7, down 5.15 won from Seoul's previous close of 1,350.40 won. The decline comes as U.S. non-farm payrolls surged 162,000 in August, nearly triple the market expectation of 56,000, s

Korea Investment & Securities raised its target stock price for NHN to 80,000 won on the 7th, a 27% increase from the previous 63,000 won. The securities firm stated that NHN was the first to demonstrate data center potential through concrete numbers. As of the 4th, NHN's stock price closed at 71,50

According to iM Securities analyst Lee Sang-heon on September 7, Halla Cast projects accelerated growth driven by 920.7 billion won in order backlog and expanding revenues from EV power conversion and robotics components. The order backlog, equivalent to 5.9 times the company's 2025 annual revenue o

According to Korea Investment & Securities, on September 7, the company raised its target price for NHN to 80,000 Korean won from 63,000 won, a 27% increase. The upgrade follows NHN's Q2 results, which demonstrated profitability from the newly operational Yangpyeong data center. The brokerage

CME Group plans to launch two compute futures products in October, in partnership with GPU price index provider Silicon Data, pending regulatory approval. The derivatives track hourly rental price indices for NVIDIA's H100 and B200 GPUs. The launch responds to surging demand for AI computing

According to Yonhapinfomax, CME Group and Silicon Data will launch two compute futures products in October 2026 following regulatory approval. The derivatives will track hourly GPU rental prices for Nvidia's H100 and B200 processors. AI developers can use compute futures to hedge against rising rent

U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded cumulative net inflows of approximately $1.68 billion as of Sept. 4, representing the total capital gathered since the products began trading. The funds held combined net assets near $1.48 billion on Sept. 4, while the session produced no net inflo