Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Korea Exchange, the program trading order liquidity halting system (sidecar mechanism) triggered nearly 50 times on the KOSPI market as of August 21, 2026. The automatic circuit-breaker, designed to prevent market volatility during extreme fluctuations, has been activating with

According to industry reports, three listed companies filed for provisional disposition against the Korea Exchange on August 18-19 over newly accelerated market capitalization-based delisting criteria. Their legal representative, Law Firm Chambers, submitted a preliminary statement to the court on A

According to Jin10 Futures, as of 10:15 on August 21, the CFETS-NEX liquidity sentiment index reported 55, down 1 point from 08:45. The index measures liquidity stress on a 0–100 scale, with 50 as neutral and readings above 50 indicating tightening conditions. Large banks' index fell to 54,

According to shipping data, traffic of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz slowed compared to the previous day, holding at single-digit levels.

According to Walmart's Q2 earnings report released today, the retailer's stock plunged over 9% after reporting same-store sales growth of 2.6%, marking a six-year low despite revenue and adjusted earnings per share beating market expectations. Revenue reached $187.94 billion, topping the forecast of

BlocksBridge Consulting reported in its latest “Miner Weekly” newsletter that nine publicly listed Bitcoin mining companies spent $5.11 billion on capital expenditures for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) businesses during the first half of 2026, while directly reported AI/HPC revenue totaled only $341.2 million during the same period, resulting in a capital expenditure-to-revenue ratio of approximately 15:1. BlocksBridge’s Capital Expenditure Data According to BlocksBridge Consulting’s m

Japanese stocks declined at the opening on August 21 amid rising US long-term Treasury bond yields, with the Nikkei 225 falling 468.34 points (0.71%) to 65,748.45 as of 9:19 AM, according to Yonhap Infomax World Stock Index. The decline followed overnight weakness in US markets where Treasury yields

Foreign investors net sold over 1 trillion won in Korean government bonds this month, marking an unusual shift after months of heavy buying. The net selling reached 1.538 trillion won as of August 21, concentrated in short-term bonds with 2-3 year maturities. The selling pressure stems from

According to Newsis, over the past two years, major South Korean listed REITs have plummeted 60–67% while the KOSPI rose 2.6x. KB StarREITs fell 67%, Shinhan Global Active REITs dropped 63%, and Marston Premier REITs declined 62%. The losses were triggered by global commercial real estate

According to Morgan Stanley research published on August 20, the U.S. Treasury is doubling the size of liquidity-support buyback operations for 10-20 year and 20-30 year maturity bonds from $2 billion to at least $4 billion per operation, effective September 9. This marks the first adjustment to buy

Moderna shares surged 176.97% on August 20, closing at $174.38 and marking the largest single-day gain for an S&P 500 component stock this century. The rally was driven by positive late-stage trial results for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine co-developed with Merck. Moderna's market

According to Yonhap Infomax, Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 468.34 points, or 0.71%, to 65,748.45 on August 21, while the TOPIX index dropped 10.87 points, or 0.27%, to 4,048.86. The decline followed overnight weakness in U.S. Treasury yields and a selloff in the Nasdaq, triggered by broader

According to Yonhapinfomax, foreign investors net sold off South Korean government bonds worth 1.538 trillion Korean won since the beginning of August, marking an unusual shift after months of net purchases in May and June. The selling was concentrated in short-term and medium-term bonds maturing b

Chinese toy manufacturer Pop Mart’s founder and CEO, Wang Ning, announced during the company’s interim results earnings call at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on August 20 that Pop Mart would launch a stock buyback program worth 2 billion to 5 billion yuan—up to approximately $740 million—within the next six months. According to Mojing Data, which tracks Tmall, Taobao, and Douyin, Pop Mart’s online product sales in China still fell 21% year over year in July despite the launch of new products such

According to Korea Exchange, KOSPI rose 31.06 points (0.45%) to 6,883.64 on August 21, as of 11 a.m. local time. KOSDAQ declined 92.63 points (1.35%) to 6,759.95.

According to aiNews24, on August 21, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to pursue a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year, sparking a surge in South Korea-North Korea cooperation-related stocks. Most of the rising equities are companies that previously operated in the

Shein Global Holdings has postponed the listing of its Hong Kong IPO shares to Sept. 1, following slight delays in receiving investor orders and adjustments to its valuation. The maximum listing valuation is now capped at no more than $30 billion, and the company plans to begin bookbuilding on Aug. 24. Shein Hong Kong IPO Timeline Adjusted According to people familiar with the matter, Shein initially aimed to complete the entire IPO process by the end of August. Due to delays in receiving invest

According to Arkham data monitored by ChainCatcher, Morgan Stanley increased its Bitcoin holdings by approximately 320.95 BTC over two consecutive days through its spot Bitcoin ETF MSBT, investing $21.91 million. The firm's total Bitcoin position now stands at 6,995 BTC, valued at approximately $515