Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Youssis, BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Swedish private equity firm EQT received CFIUS approval on Aug 31 to acquire U.S. power company AES for $33.4 billion. The consortium will pay $15 per share in cash, representing $10.7 billion in equity value.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs turned negative last week, ending a nine-day inflow streak that brought in $2.8 billion total. According to Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock's head of digital assets, the CLARITY Act is less critical for Bitcoin than for other crypto categories like DeFi and altcoins. IBIT led

According to latest market reporting, Solana spot ETFs recorded $153.87 million in net inflows last week, extending their streak to 9 consecutive days of positive flows. On August 27, the inflows peaked at $60.91 million, marking the best daily inflow result of the year to date. August monthly inflo

According to Jin10, on August 31, Ireland unveiled details of a new government-backed savings account designed to encourage retail investment through tax incentives. The account is expected to launch in early 2027, offering tax-free investment returns up to a certain limit, with a reduced uniform ta

South Korean stocks showed mixed results on August 31, with the KOSPI closing at 6820.02, up 0.46%, while the KOSDAQ fell 0.49% to 834.29. The decline in growth-stock-heavy KOSDAQ reflected sensitivity to US interest rate concerns following Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's hawkish remarks at the Jackson

According to Seoul Economic, South Korea's KOSPI index fell to 6,820.02 on August 31 amid growing concerns over a U.S. interest rate hike in September. Biotech stocks, including Alteo Genene (down 3.91%), Peptron (down 4.78%), and ABL Bio (down 5.46%), posted sharp declines on rate sensitivity.

According to BlockBeats, Canadian trader Akshay Sapra disclosed on August 31 that he lost over 350,000 Canadian dollars in a week after betting on SpaceX. After SpaceX was added to the Nasdaq-100 index, Sapra purchased thousands of call options and shares. The stock price subsequently dropped

According to Bloomberg, Trump-backed government investments in U.S. public companies face mounting political and legal risks as midterm elections approach, with polls showing Democrats may regain control of at least one chamber of Congress. If Democrats gain control of relevant committees, they

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix experienced divergent stock performance over the past month, with LS Securities adjusting target prices on August 31 to reflect changing HBM competitiveness. LS Securities raised Samsung Electronics' target price from 400,000 won to 450,000 won while lowering SK Hyni

The USD/KRW exchange rate fell to 1,368.60 won as of 3:30 PM on August 31st in the Seoul foreign exchange market, down 3.90 won from the previous session. This marked the lowest closing level since July 24 last year, a 13-month low. The decline occurred despite hawkish remarks from US Federal

According to Jin10 Futures, citing a report from Donwu Futures on August 31, China's chemical products sector surged collectively as escalating Middle East geopolitical tensions—triggered by recent U.S.-Iran missile exchanges—raised Strait of Hormuz shipping risks. Methanol and ethylene glycol port

According to Hankyung, KOSPI rose 0.46% to 6,820.02 on August 31 despite hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. The index fell as much as 3.55% in morning trading to 6,547.76 before recovering on afternoon gains. Samsung Electronics

According to Yonhap Infomax, on August 31, the USD/KRW exchange rate fell to 1,368.60 won, marking its lowest level in 13 months. The decline was driven by month-end supply dynamics, with exporters actively selling dollars and foreign funds from the World Government Bond Index (WGBI) flowing into th

According to Yonhap Infomax, FX swap points across all tenors declined on August 31, with the 1-year tenor falling 0.70 won to -8.50 won from opening. The 6-month tenor closed at -4.10 won and the 3-month at -1.80 won, while the 1-month ended at -0.55 won. The broader decline followed Fed Chair

Private equity funds increased their presence in Korean stocks as individual and foreign investors reduced trading activity. Through August 28, private investment funds' daily average trading volume ratio in KOSPI reached 1.89% in August, according to Korea Exchange data. Individual investors' daily

Japanese stock indices showed mixed performance on August 31, with the Nikkei 225 declining 0.14% while the Topix rose 0.23%, as semiconductor and AI-related stocks rallied after initial weakness triggered by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's hawkish speech at the Jackson Hole conference on t

According to Korea Exchange data through August 28, private equity funds' share of KOSPI average daily trading volume surged to 1.9% in August, up from 1.1% in February. The increase reflects reduced participation from individual investors, whose average daily trading volume halved from 35.5

According to Barron's, the S&P 500 rose just 0.5% this week, with the index nearly flat over the past three weeks. However, the benchmark is maintaining a strong 22% gain over the past five months. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's Friday speech at Jackson Hole signaled potential rate increases a

According to Yonhap Infomax, Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed down 93.63 points (-0.14%) at 66,311.93 on August 31, amid mixed trading driven by semiconductor-related strength. The TOPIX index rose 9.58 points (+0.23%) to 4,156.29. Both benchmarks opened lower following U.S. Federal Reserve Chair

According to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, as of July 31, 2026, the Exchange Fund's total assets stood at HK$44,037 billion, down HK$599 billion from June 30. Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$772 billion, while foreign currency assets increased by HK$173 billion.