Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Korea Exchange, Kakao Mobility filed a draft registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today, August 20, as part of its $1 billion U.S. initial public offering plan. The exchange requested Kakao to disclose information regarding its subsidiary's IPO push, w

According to UK sources, Russia-Ukraine port strikes have halted Black Sea grain exports by 97% as of August 19. Ukrainian forces attacked Russia's Novorossiysk port, forcing shutdowns of three major grain terminals, while Odesa port ceased operations in late July. Ukraine's Agriculture Minister

According to Ukraine's Agriculture Minister, global wheat prices could rise $80 per ton due to supply shortages in the Black Sea region, as of August 20.

According to Korea Exchange Data Marketplace, South Korea's bond-equity mixed ETFs surged to 20.43 trillion won in net assets as of August 18, with 72 products listed, representing a 4-fold increase from 4.72 trillion won (51 products) a year prior. The category doubled from 8.08 trillion won at

According to industry sources, South Korea's National Pension Service invested $250 million on July 20 as a cornerstone investor in Chinese technology company ZJinolight's Hong Kong IPO offering, six weeks after the U.S. Department of Defense designated the firm as a Chinese military-connected

According to Jin10 Futures, on August 20 at 4 p.m., the CNEX money market sentiment index reported 51, up 1 point from 2:30 p.m. Among constituent sectors, large banks' index stood at 50, mid-sized and small banks at 52, and non-bank institutions at 50, each up 1 point.

According to ChainCatcher, gold prices recently broke above $4,500 per ounce, with a single-day gain exceeding 3%. CoinGlass data shows Bitget XAUT/USDT contracts recorded $21.19 million in 24-hour trading volume, up 34.05% from the prior

SK Hynix announced a 40 trillion won share buyback plan through a board resolution on the previous day, with NICE Credit Rating assessing the move as financially manageable despite being the largest single buyback by a Korean listed company. The credit rating agency stated in a report published on t

Hanwha Investment & Securities increased its stake in Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's Upbit cryptocurrency exchange, with the book value of its holdings reaching 1.5068 trillion won as of June-end. The securities firm invested an additional 597.8 billion won during the first half of the year t

According to Tether's latest disclosed holdings as of June 30, approximately $47 billion of its roughly $190 billion reserve portfolio does not qualify under the U.S. GENIUS Act's reserve-asset requirements, representing about 25% of total reserves. The non-compliant assets include approximately $1

According to Singapore's Economic Development Board, fuel oil inventories rose by 1.188 million barrels to 18.423 million barrels, a two-week high, in the week ended August 19.

According to Singapore's Economic Development Board, as of the week ending August 19, Singapore's middle distillate inventories fell 7.39 million barrels to 82.74 million barrels, marking a two-week low.

According to Hana Investment Securities' interim report released on August 20, the company's book value of Dunamu shares reached 1.506 trillion won as of June end, after acquiring an additional 597.8 billion won of the cryptocurrency exchange operator's stock in the first half of 2026. The

According to ING Group strategist Chris Turner, the U.S. dollar fell to a three-month low on Aug 20, with the DXY index declining to 98.708. Turner attributed the weakness to the U.S. Treasury Department's decision to expand long-term debt buyback programs, which bolstered market risk sentiment.

According to Farside Investors, yesterday (Aug 20), Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded net inflows of $454.8 million while Ethereum spot ETFs posted net inflows of $186.8 million.

Seven KOSPI-listed companies changed their largest shareholders this month through the 19th, according to Korea Exchange data released on the 20th. LX Holdings and Korea United Pharm transferred ownership stakes to second-generation family members, while Hanwha Group formalized third-generation

Nvidia (NVDA) stock fell 1% on Wednesday to close at $217.56 and is down 4% this week as the company heads into next week's earnings report scheduled after the closing bell on Aug. 26. Wall Street expects another beat-and-raise quarter, with Fiscal.ai projecting fiscal second-quarter 2027 revenue

According to Herald Economy, as of August 20, multiple KOSPI-listed companies have experienced changes in controlling shareholders this month, driven by succession transfers to second and third-generation family members. LX Holdings transferred 6.1 million shares to eldest son Gu Hyung-mo on August

According to Jefferies, Nvidia will report fiscal second-quarter 2027 earnings after market close on August 26, with analysts expecting revenue of $91.5 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $2.07, more than double the prior-year figures. Wall Street anticipates a "beat-and-raise" quarter

According to South Korea's 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, unveiled on August 20, the country's projected annual electricity consumption for 2040 stands at 847.3 TWh under the baseline