Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to South Korea's National Statistical Office, core inflation (food and energy excluded) reached 2.6% year-over-year in July, marking the highest level since December 2023. Meanwhile, headline CPI rose 2.8%, returning to the 2% range after two consecutive months above 3% in May and June.

Mastercard completed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK, the company announced in a statement released Monday. The acquisition enables Mastercard to connect crypto assets with traditional payment rails, leveraging BVNK's technology to help financial institutions, fintechs, and en

The U.S. Treasury carried out one of the largest coordinated interventions in decades on July 31, with the U.S. estimated to have deployed $50k to $10 billion; as of August 4, USD/JPY remained near 157.7. QCP Capital analyzed that the intervention mainly affected the cryptocurrency market through the unwinding of yen carry trades: the yen’s rapid appreciation forced the deleveraging of risk-asset positions financed in yen, potentially triggering cascading selling pressure. Background of the Japa

Bitcoin mining machine company Sphere 3D's stock is drawing market attention after the company revised its at-the-market (ATM) authorization to sell up to $10.3 million in shares to fund working capital. As of March 31, 2025, Sphere 3D held $3.15 million in cash and 26.2 Bitcoin, with a fair value of $1.79 million. Sphere 3D ATM Authorization Details: $10.3 Million Cap According to the prospectus supplement Sphere 3D filed with the SEC on July 31, the revised ATM authorization allows the company

APR, a leading K-beauty company, closed at 338,000 won on the previous trading day, up 18,000 won (5.63%), while the KOSPI index fell 5.12% to 6257.45. Korea Investment & Securities reaffirmed a target price of 520,000 won for APR ahead of its Q2 earnings announcement, maintaining a 'buy' rating.

According to State Street market executive Choi Ji-wook on August 4, the Bank of Korea's August interest rate decision remains uncertain, with market consensus favoring a hold in August followed by a 25 basis point increase in October. However, consecutive rate hikes are being considered as an

According to Korea Exchange, APR, South Korea's leading K-beauty company, surged 5.63% to 338,000 won on August 3, significantly outperforming the broader KOSPI index, which fell 5.12% to 6,257.45 on the same day. Korean Investment Securities maintained a buy rating with a target price of 520,000 wo

According to Hanwha Asset Management, the South Korea-based fund manager launched the PLUS SK Hynix SanDisk Bond Hybrid 50 exchange-traded fund on August 4, allocating 25% each to SK Hynix and SanDisk, with the remaining 50% distributed across nine government bond issues. The ETF is classified as a

According to Bybit CEO Ben Zhou, Bybit Options will launch traditional finance stocks and equity options products on August 4.

According to BlockBeats, on August 4, the U.S. Treasury market—approximately $30 trillion in size—experienced rapid long-term yield increases and elevated volatility. The 30-year Treasury yield reached its highest level since 2007, while the 10-year yield broke through its trading range from the

Bloomberg columnist Shuli Ren published a column titled “South Korea Has Also Become Uninvestable” on August 4, stating that “South Korea’s stock market is the hottest and most volatile equity market in the world this year.” She pointed out that the KOSPI fell nearly 40% within 27 trading days, a decline comparable to that of the 2015 Chinese stock market crash. So far this year, the KOSPI has recorded 33 days with single-day moves exceeding 5%. Bloomberg’s Shuli Ren’s Main Criticisms of South K

According to market data, most CNH HIBOR (offshore yuan Hong Kong interbank offered rates) rates declined on Tuesday, with the one-year HIBOR falling to 1.70273%, temporarily retreating from two-week highs. Overnight HIBOR dropped 5 basis points to 1.25273%, while the one-week rate edged down to 1.4

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) stock has drawn market attention as the company officially completed its acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK on August 4, in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion, including $300 million in contingent payments. Mastercard said the acquisition will combine its global network with BVNK’s on-chain infrastructure to enable interoperability between digital and fiat currencies, helping institutions, fintech companies, and enterprises scale stablecoin payments and

According to Stocktwits, Palantir Technologies reported second-quarter revenue of $1.94 billion late Monday, nearly doubling year-over-year, with U.S. commercial sales surging 149% and government sales rising 90%. The company raised its full-year 2026 revenue forecast to $8.15–8.16 billion from a

According to Japanese Finance Minister Katayama Shigetsugu, on August 4, he declined to provide further comments on joint U.S.-Japan currency intervention efforts.

According to Yonhapinfomax, the dollar-won exchange rate fell to 1,422.70 won as of 10:07 a.m. on Aug 4, down 7.10 won from the previous session's close of 1,429.80 won. The decline followed a sharp reversal after the KOSPI index dropped 2.7% amid institutional selling pressure, dragging the

According to BlockBeats, on August 4, SK Hynix and its South Korean union held their fifth round of bonus negotiations at the company's Cheongju facility. The two sides disagreed over bonus proposals. Last year, SK Hynix agreed to allocate 10% of annual operating profit to employees, which

According to BlockBeats, semiconductor sentiment has warmed following July's sharp decline on August 4. The PHLX Semiconductor Index, which suffered its worst month since 2008 last month with a drop exceeding 20% from June highs, rebounded Monday (U.S. time) with Nvidia gaining nearly 3% and AMD

According to UBS on August 4, the investment bank believes energy flows through the Hormuz Strait will gradually recover rather than quickly rebound, supporting stock market gains alongside resilient earnings. UBS noted that U.S. second-quarter earnings exceeded expectations both in breadth and

According to Grab CFO Peter Oey on CNBC, Grab raised its full-year revenue guidance to $4.10-4.15 billion on Tuesday after reporting record second-quarter results, up from prior guidance of $4.04-4.10 billion. The company also lifted EBITDA estimates to $720-740 million from $700-720 million. Oey