Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Seoul forex dealers forecast USD-KRW exchange rate will trade in a range-bound pattern with 1,400 won as the upper limit on May 21. The outlook reflects conflicting market forces: US interest rate rebounds and oil price increases support dollar strength, while persistent dollar supply surplus and ma

According to Hanwha Credit Rating, the company assessed on August 21 that SK Hynix's large-scale shareholder return policy would pose limited near-term credit impact. The chipmaker announced a 40 trillion won share buyback and commitment to return over 50% of cumulative free cash flow (FCF) to share

Shanghai silver futures contract rose 4.00% intraday on August 21, 2026, trading at 16,756 yuan per kilogram as of the latest quote.

NZD/USD reached 0.59646 today, marking its highest level since June 1. The New Zealand dollar strengthened against the U.S. dollar, continuing recent upward momentum in the currency pair.

On August 25, the People's Bank of China will conduct auctions for the seventh and eighth tranches of 2026 central bank bills through the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU) bond bidding

South Korean bond market participants called for reducing 30-year treasury bond issuance at a meeting held on the 19th, as yields surged to a record 4.750% on the 18th and insurance company demand collapsed. Insurance companies and pension funds purchased only 400 billion won of 30-year bonds

Bitcoin (BTC) continued its midweek rebound, trading at around $74,430 as of August 21. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said that even if the CLARITY Act fails to pass, the crypto industry will still receive market structure rules. CME CEO Terrence Duffy, Selig, and a Kalshi executive engaged in a heated debate over prediction market regulation. Macro Events & Crypto Highlights Bloomberg reported that CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said the crypto industry will receive market structure rules even if Co

Palladium futures (main contract) rose 2.00% intraday to 322.65 yuan per gram on August 21.

According to Jin10 Futures, as of 09:30 Beijing time on August 21, New York gold futures rose 0.25%, silver futures climbed 0.68%, and copper futures gained 0.75%.

According to Jin10, as of 09:30 Beijing time on August 21, WTI crude oil futures gained 0.45%, while U.S. natural gas futures rose 1.10%.

South Korea's government bond issuance shows a 30-year bond proportion of 25.61% in the first half, significantly exceeding the 10-year bond proportion of 17.05%, according to bond industry data released August 21. This contrasts sharply with major economies where 10-year bonds dominate: the US

According to Yonhapinfomax, on August 21, South Korea's government is considering reducing issuance of ultra-long-term (30-year) government bonds beginning in September as insurance companies' purchasing demand collapsed. The 30-year bond yield hit a record high of 4.75% on August 18, up 150 basis p

According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI stood at 6,838.9 as of 10:04 a.m. on August 21, down 13.66 points or 0.20% from the previous trading day. After falling over 1% in early trading, the benchmark index recovered losses to trade near the 6,800 level. Semiconductor giants including Samsung

According to Korea Exchange, Kosdaq's program sell-order price halt (sidecar) was triggered on Aug 21 at 10:05 a.m. as the market declined sharply. Kosdaq 150 futures fell 89.60 points (6.06%) to 1,387.40, with the trading halt lasting five minutes. This marks the 32nd sidecar activation in 2026.

Korean Air and Jeju Air are expected to see second-half financial improvements as the won-dollar exchange rate fell into the 1,300s on August 21, trading at 1,389.60 won per dollar as of 9 a.m. Seoul time. The rate decline reduces foreign currency debt burdens and dollar-denominated costs for fuel a

According to Tom Lee, head of Fundstrat Global Advisors, per CNBC on August 20, the S&P 500 is expected to reach 7,900–8,000 by end of August, implying 2.5–4% upside from recent levels. Lee projects accelerating upward momentum entering Q4 despite recent market consolidation from rising global

According to the People's Bank of China, today the central bank conducted 95 billion yuan in 7-day reverse repurchase operations at a fixed rate of 1.40%, with full subscription matched at 100%. The rate remains unchanged from previous operations.

South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-chul affirmed on August 21 that the nation's external financial soundness remains solid despite a quarterly decline in net external financial assets. Speaking at a market monitoring meeting held at the Korea Federation of Banks in