Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Nasdaq launched the Nasdaq-100 Enhanced Growth Index on August 14, its first optimization in 40 years, raising weightings in AI supply-chain leaders including Nvidia, Broadcom, Micron, ASML, and AMD while reducing constituents to 30. From July 30 to August 14, Fubon Nasdaq Select ETF (009820)

According to BlockBeats, on August 21, leveraged traders shifted from AI stocks to the crypto market via Hyperliquid and biotech sectors, according to analyst Serenity, who believes this reallocation may help AI stocks recover faster. The move comes as South Korea's EWY ETF rose, driven by SK

According to Kpler data, on Thursday (Aug 21), Hormuz Strait vessel traffic dropped to 7 tankers, down from 14 on Wednesday, amid escalating regional security concerns as US-Iran peace negotiations remain stalled. Among the vessels transiting the chokepoint, 4 entered the strait while 3

According to Jin10, on August 21 at 11:31 AM, Chinese futures markets saw mixed fund flows. Lithium carbonate 2701 recorded inflows of 1.916 billion yuan, while silver 2610 and gold 2610 attracted 1.729 billion yuan and 624 million yuan respectively. On the outflow side,

According to Jin10, offshore yuan Hong Kong Interbank Offered Rates (CNH HIBOR) on Aug 21 showed mixed performance. One-year HIBOR declined to 1.66758%, marking the lowest level since July 21. Overnight HIBOR fell 4 basis points to 1.37417%; one-week HIBOR dipped to 1.42303%, touching its lowest sin

According to Alternative.me, the crypto Fear and Greed Index rose to 72 on August 21, marking its highest level since October last year and up from 62 yesterday, indicating the market remains in a greedy

According to JPMorgan, on August 19, Moderna's INT personalized neoantigen therapy met primary and key secondary endpoints in Phase III adjuvant melanoma trial. The bank maintained Underweight rating and $40

SK Hynix announced a shareholder return program totaling 40 trillion won, including share buyback and cancellation, with analysts assessing limited short-term impact on the company's credit rating. The massive cash outflow is supported by strong cash generation from the AI memory boom and the compan

Alibaba Group announced its quarterly earnings for June 2026, reporting total revenue of 268.95 billion yuan, up 9% year over year. Revenue from AI Cloud and Computing Services was 48.44 billion yuan, up 45% year over year, while revenue from AI-related products achieved triple-digit growth for the 12th consecutive quarter. Alibaba’s share of China’s AI cloud market reached 38.1%. However, capital expenditures rose 75% year over year to 67.68 billion yuan. AI Cloud and Computing Services Segment

JPMorgan Chase downgraded Popmart (09992.HK) to underweight from neutral today, cutting its target price to HK$120 from HK$165. The bank highlighted that Q2 marked a true inflection point, with revenue declining 11% year-over-year—the first single-quarter decline since 2023. First-half revenue

According to Jin10 data, on Friday (August 21), the Nikkei 225 index fell 0.3% by mid-session close, as Middle East conflict uncertainty pushed up oil prices and stoked inflation concerns. The index is expected to post a 4% weekly decline—its largest single-week drop since mid-July. The broader

Korean securities firms' sales staff received significantly increased compensation in the first half, driven by a surge in stock market activity. At Yuanta Securities, retail director Lee Jong-seok earned 22.72 billion won during the period — 24.5 times the CEO's compensation of 929 million won

According to RBC Capital Markets, the S&P 500 historically exhibits a distinct pattern during U.S. midterm election years: peaks in August or September, dips to lows in October, rebounds in November, and experiences a second dip in December. Analyzing 2018 and 2022, RBC identified consistent

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song skipped the market situation review meeting (F4 meeting) held by economic and financial authorities on the 21st. The absence occurred during the silence period ahead of the Monetary Policy Board meeting

Big tech companies surpassed $200 billion in bond issuance this year to fund artificial intelligence investments, according to analysis by Yonhap Infomax on local time May 20. The surge in corporate bond supply is driving up borrowing costs and sustaining high interest rate environments across bond

According to Yonhap Infomax, as of August 21, South Korea's dollar-won exchange rate has fallen 163.20 won in just over a month, yet 3-year government bond yields have risen, breaking their historical correlation. The exchange rate dropped from a July 2 peak of 1,555.80 won to 1,392.60 won as of Aug

From 02:00 to 03:00 (UTC) on August 21, 2026, BTC experienced a slight one-hour pullback, posting a return of -0.34%. It traded within a range of 74,683.1–75,193.9 USDT, with an amplitude of 0.68%. Over the preceding 24 hours, BTC rebounded from $68,907 to a high of $75,784, gaining 7.52%, while heightened volatility drew significant market attention. The primary driver of this move was the continued escalation of geopolitical risks stemming from the US-Iran war. The Iranian military shifted fro

China's overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (SHIBOR) rose to 1.4340% overnight, up 5.0 basis points. The 7-day SHIBOR increased to 1.4256%, up 3.56 basis points, while the 3-month SHIBOR remained flat at 1.4300%.

Bloomberg cited informed sources on August 21 as saying that Samsung Electronics’ shareholder return program could be worth up to 110 trillion Korean won (approximately $79 billion). The board will convene at 4 p.m. Korea time that day, with details of the plan to be announced after the meeting. If implemented at this scale, it could become the largest shareholder return in the history of South Korean listed companies. As of press time, Samsung had not officially disclosed the amount or details,

Japanese investors net purchased over 5 trillion yen in overseas stocks and long-term bonds during the two weeks ending the 15th, according to Japan Ministry of Finance data cited by CNBC on the 20th (local time). This contrasts sharply with net sales exceeding 300 billion yen in the prior two-week