Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Korea Exchange, KOSDAQ's average daily trading volume plunged to 6.1161 trillion won in July, marking the lowest level this year and representing a 38.92% decline from June. The daily average dropped below 10 trillion won for the first time in 2026, with the lowest single-day volume on

According to Coinglass data reported by ChainCatcher, Coinbase's bitcoin premium index has remained in negative premium for 76 consecutive days since May 19, at -0.1012%. This marks the longest such streak since the index was introduced, surpassing the previous record of 40 consecutive days set

According to CITIC Research, the global AI sector has experienced a significant pullback since mid-June, with South Korea hit particularly hard due to high leverage, crowded positioning, and retail participation. The selloff mirrors the pattern of four major drawdowns that preceded the dotcom

Situational Awareness (SA), a hedge fund led by 24-year-old former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner, contributed to volatility in US stocks during July through highly leveraged positions in AI-related stocks, according to analysis by Financial Times and other outlets. On July 30, Citadel

According to Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, Citadel completed the acquisition of most assets from AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness (SA) at a discount of over 10% on July 30. The deal removed a major forced seller from the market, easing months of downward pressure on

According to BlockBeats, major corporate earnings and U.S. economic data will converge next week, with SpaceX releasing its first post-IPO earnings report on Tuesday and facing a historic single-stock unlock of approximately 911.5 million shares on Thursday. Friday will bring the July non-farm

South Korea's National Pension Service saw the valuation of its large-stake domestic stock holdings drop 23% by the end of July compared to the end of June, according to data compiled by Maeil Business Newspaper from financial information provider FnGuide. The decline mirrored the KOSPI's 22% fall i

The Korean won appreciated 8.81% against the US dollar in July, marking the sharpest monthly gain since the global financial crisis. The won-dollar exchange rate fell 125.4 won during the month, closing at 1424.0 won on July 31 compared to 1549.4 won at the end of June, according to the Bank of Kore

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, South Korea's National Pension Fund saw its holdings in domestic listed companies plunge 23% in July, with evaluation value dropping from 514 trillion won at end-June to 396 trillion won by late July. The fund's large holdings span 272 listed companies with a c

According to South Korea's Bank of Korea, the Korean won strengthened to 1,424.0 against the U.S. dollar on July 31, up 8.81% from 1,549.4 at the end of June—marking the largest monthly appreciation since March 2009 during the global financial crisis. The surge was driven by SK Hynix's dollar

Bloomberg published an analysis on August 2nd (Korean time) examining how Korean retail investors are abandoning the domestic stock market after KOSPI's 22% plunge in July - the largest monthly decline since the financial crisis. The report attributes the exodus to extreme volatility triggered by th

According to Bloomberg, on August 2, South Korea's KOSPI plunged 22% in July, marking its worst monthly decline since the financial crisis. The steep decline has prompted retail investors to abandon the market, with anger directed at the government's single-stock leveraged ETF policy, which many

According to Alliance Bernstein Asset Management, while the U.S. economy is likely to continue moderate growth without recession in H2 2026, global equities may see increased volatility driven by corporate earnings performance. The asset manager noted that AI investment expectations have already

According to Jin10, Nasdaq-100 ETF issued a notice on July 31 regarding significant premiums in secondary market trading. The fund's closing price reached 1.72 yuan, while its net asset value stood at 1.5907 yuan, representing a premium of approximately 7.8%. If the premium persists beyond

Securities analysts issued divergent target price adjustments for LG Group subsidiaries following Q2 earnings, with 14 upgrades versus 23 downgrades during the one-week period from July 27 per FnGuide. The split reflected conflicting valuation methodologies—strong fundamentals versus declining

According to Jin10, Jiashi Crude Oil LOF announced on August 2 that its secondary market trading price has significantly exceeded net asset value, with a notable premium. The closing price on July 31 was 2.201 yuan, while the net asset value as of July 29 stood at 1.9955 yuan, representing a premium

According to Yonhap Infomax, the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield surged to 5.275% on July 31, climbing 11.50 basis points and briefly touching 5.284% to mark its highest level since July 2007. The 10-year yield rose to 4.739%, up 6.00 basis points, while the spread between the two widened to 44.60 basis

Korea Exchange notified major asset management firms in early August that new ETF listing reviews may face delays due to review backlog. The exchange's ETF listing team consists of only 5 members as of early this year, handling both new listing reviews and existing ETF management. The workload

According to Korea Securities Depository, domestic retail investors' U.S. stock holdings fell from $204.1 billion in late May to $170.4 billion by late July, representing a 65 trillion won loss after accounting for currency fluctuations. Despite the significant decline, retail investors continued