Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

On May 19 at market open, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.6%, while South Korea's Seoul Composite index fell 1.2%.

On May 19, the Nikkei 225 Index opened higher, rising 548.22 points, or 0.90%, to 61,364.17.

According to Jin10 data, on May 18, jewelry retailer Zhou Daisheng held an earnings call, addressing the closure of over 500 stores in 2025. The company attributed the store reductions to two main factors: weak consumer demand for gold jewelry and consolidation of franchisee stores. The company

Japan's nominal GDP expanded 0.8% on a quarter-on-quarter basis in the first quarter (preliminary estimate), matching market expectations but slightly slower than the previous quarter's 0.9% growth rate.

According to NOPA and USDA data, on Monday, CBOT soybean oil futures closed up 2.4%, recovering part of last week's losses. U.S. soybean oil inventories held by NOPA members totaled 1.947 billion pounds as of end-April, down 4.5% from March but slightly below market expectations. Meanwhile, U.S. soy

Japan's private consumption in the first quarter grew at a seasonally adjusted 0.3% quarter-on-quarter, exceeding the market forecast of 0.2%. The prior quarter's figure was revised downward to zero percent from an initially

Japan's first-quarter real GDP annualized quarter-on-quarter rate came in at 2.1% on initial estimate, exceeding expectations of 1.7%. The prior quarter's figure was revised downward to 0.8% from the previously

Japan's net exports contributed 0.3 percentage points to first-quarter GDP growth on a quarterly basis, exceeding economist forecasts of 0.1 percentage points, according to official economic data released in

According to Calcalist, Tom Livne, former CEO of Israeli AI transcription startup Verbit, raised $172 million for Iron Dome Acquisition Corp, a Nasdaq-listed SPAC targeting cybersecurity, defense tech, or AI businesses with annual revenue exceeding $100 million. The SPAC's leadership includes Israel

Japan's real gross domestic product grew 0.5% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter of 2026, exceeding economist expectations of 0.4% and accelerating from 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2025, preliminary data

Japan's Q1 GDP deflator (seasonally adjusted initial reading) came in at 3.4% year-over-year, beating economist expectations of 3.1% and matching the prior quarter's 3.4% reading.

According to China International Capital (CICC), the U.S. Federal Reserve is unlikely to cut interest rates for the remainder of 2026, as inflation remains elevated above the central bank's 2% target. CICC's latest report forecasts U.S. PCE inflation will stay above 3.5% for the full year, with

Multiple U.S. media outlets reported on May 18 that Kevin Warsh will be sworn in as chair of the Federal Reserve on May 22, 2024. President Trump will hold the swearing-in ceremony at the White House. Senate Confirmation The U.S. Senate confirmed Warsh on May 13 with a vote of 54 in favor

According to Economic Daily, the U.S. Consumer Price Index rose 3.8% year-over-year in April, up from 3.3% in March, driven mainly by a 17.9% surge in energy prices, according to data released by the Labor Department on May 12. The higher-than-expected inflation reading undermines market

Zhang Haixiao, an equity fund manager at Yongyingfund, stated in a recent appearance on The Paper's "Chief Connection" program that the current semiconductor 'super cycle' is fundamentally different from previous cycles due to a shift in demand sources from AI production rather than

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will introduce a stock tokenization trading plan, according to reports. The initiative aims to open new opportunities in the cryptocurrency trading market, potentially allowing traditional equities to be traded on blockchain

Record-breaking heat across the U.S. East Coast triggered grid operators to declare an emergency state on May 18, with electricity prices soaring to unprecedented levels. In the Washington, D.C. suburbs—including the power-intensive Data Center Alley—prices reached $1,000 per megawatt-hour, nearly

Australian 10-year government bond yield fell 6.48 basis points to 5.0488% at Sydney market open on May 18. Three-year bond yield declined 6.19 basis points to 4.6756%.

U.S. stocks closed mixed today (May 18), with the Nasdaq falling 0.51%, the S&P 500 declining 0.07%, and the Dow Jones Index rising 0.32%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) dropped 2.47%, led by Seagate Technology down nearly 7%, Micron Technology, Applied Materials, and SanDisk each down o

In Q1, New Zealand's input producer price index fell to 1.8% year-over-year, down from 3.2% in the previous quarter.