Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre stated recently that trade negotiations with the United States have made 'substantial progress.' No specific details of the breakthrough or timeline were disclosed.

According to Morgan Stanley Research on August 18, the dollar-yen exchange rate remains under pressure near 159 yen despite a coordinated intervention by U.S. and Japanese authorities in late July, which had briefly pushed the pair down to 155 yen—approaching post-floating-rate-system lows. David

According to BNY Mellon's U.S. strategist John Velis, on August 18, the Federal Reserve may restart Treasury bill purchases under its reserve management purchases (RMP) policy as early as fall 2026 if liquidity conditions justify the move. Velis noted that with the U.S. Treasury estimating

According to Mirae Asset Securities, on August 19, the most-purchased stocks by top-earning investors (top 1% in returns over the past month) were SK Hynix, Korea Kolmar, Korea Electric Power, and Alteogen, in order. The most-sold stocks were TLBio and Samsung Electronics. The data shows investors b

According to Goldman Sachs, on August 18, the firm maintained a Buy rating on Broadcom (AVGO) with a $525 price target, implying 34% upside from current levels. Goldman Sachs forecasts Broadcom's FY2027 AI revenue at $133 billion, 12% above consensus estimates, compared to FY2026 AI revenue of

Big Tech companies including Amazon, Alphabet, NVIDIA, Meta Platforms, Oracle, and SpaceX raised a total of $182 billion through corporate bond issuance in the first half of the year, according to credit rating agency Fitch. This represents a significant increase from $13 billion in the same

South Korea's Korea Development Institute (KDI) raised its 2026 economic growth forecast to 3.2% from 2.5%, the institute announced August 19. The 0.7 percentage point upgrade reflects a stronger-than-expected semiconductor boom driven by global AI

KOSPI-listed companies achieved record first-half net profit of 386.674 trillion won, surging 333.30% year-over-year, driven by semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The two companies accounted for 81.02% of total net profit among 634 firms with December fiscal year-ends on a

According to Zhitong Finance, China-based commodities trading company Realty Group recently resubmitted its Hong Kong main board listing application, with China International Capital Corporation as sole sponsor. The company recorded 270.48 billion yuan in revenue for 2025 with a net

South Korea's Korea Development Institute (KDI) recommended on the 19th that the base interest rate be maintained above the mid-2% level for the time being. KDI official Kim Mi-ru, head of the Macroeconomic and Financial Policy Research Department, stated at a revised economic outlook briefing

According to the Korea Exchange and KOSDAQ Association, net profit of KOSDAQ-listed companies surged 287% year-over-year in the first half of 2026 on a consolidated basis, with individual basis figures reaching 240%. However, rising debt levels have raised concerns about financial soundness among th

According to Korea Exchange data released August 19, net profit of KOSPI-listed companies surged 386.67 trillion won in the first half of 2026, up 333% year-over-year. Revenue reached 2.1 quadrillion won, up 28.84%, while operating profit climbed 254.15%. SK Haikuli led individual company

The Korean won surged past the 1,400 per U.S. dollar mark for the first time since October 2025, marking a significant strengthening of the currency amid ongoing economic developments.

Overnight SHIBOR (Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate) rose 2.0 basis points to 1.3810% on August 19. The 7-day SHIBOR increased 0.5 basis points to 1.3850%, while the 3-month rate held flat at 1.4300%.

According to South Korea's Korea Development Institute (KDI), the think tank raised its economic growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027 today. KDI now projects 2026 GDP growth at 3.2%, up from a previous forecast of 2.5%, and 2027 growth at 2.2%, up from 1.7%.

ISU Petasys, a Korean printed circuit board manufacturer, reported second-quarter revenue of 379.9 billion KRW and operating profit of 77.1 billion KRW, representing year-over-year increases of 57.4% and 83.3% respectively and exceeding market consensus by 4.9% and 2.7%. Multiple securities firms in

According to Bank of Korea, household credit grew 3.6% year-over-year as of end-June, unchanged from the growth rate recorded at end-March.

According to multiple brokerages on August 19, South Korean semiconductor substrate manufacturer Isupetax's 2027 operating profit estimate was raised 11.9% to 551 billion Korean won from 460.2 billion won. Meritz Securities, Kiwoom Securities, and Daol Investment upgraded forecasts following

Three companies that listed on the KOSDAQ in August—Delicious, K&S INC, and Ingeniaterapeutics—declined 2.18%, 3.17%, and 7% respectively as of 10:50 AM on the 19th, according to Korea Exchange data. Delicious closed below its IPO price on its first trading day, an unusual outcome in South Korea's p

According to Korea Exchange, three companies newly listed on South Korea's Kosdaq market in August—Delicious, KNS Inc., and Ingeniate Therapeutics—traded down 2.18%, 3.17%, and 7%, respectively, as of 10:50 a.m. on August 19. Delicious marked an unusual case by closing below its public offering