Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Korea Exchange data, preferred shares significantly underperformed common shares on August 30 following the Bank of Korea's decision to raise its benchmark interest rate to 3.00% on August 27. Over the subsequent two trading days, Samsung Electronics' preferred stock fell 5.08%,

According to Mirae Asset Securities, on August 30, SK Telecom's target stock price was raised 25% to 150,000 KRW from 120,000 KRW, with enterprise value revalued at 32.3 trillion KRW. The increase reflects new AI infrastructure prospects following SK Horizon's valuation at 6.3 trillion KRW, with 80%

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, BlackRock's stock surged 23% over the past two months as the world's largest asset manager expanded beyond traditional equities and bonds into private credit, infrastructure, and digital assets. BlackRock's assets under management (AUM) exceeded $15 trillion in

According to Korea Exchange data through August 28, the KOSDAQ Global index rose 10% since the beginning of 2026, significantly outperforming the broader KOSDAQ index, which fell 9.4% over the same period. The KODEX KOSDAQ Global ETF and TIGER KOSDAQ Global ETF, which track the KOSDAQ Global index,

According to Odaily and newsis, South Korea's financial regulator raised the minimum deposit requirement for single-stock leveraged ETFs from 10 million to 30 million won on July 31, triggering a sharp withdrawal from retail investors. Trading volume for 16 products linked to Samsung Electronics and

According to Chosun Biz, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service will conduct a comprehensive inspection of Mirae Asset Securities next month, focusing on potential improper sales practices during the SpaceX initial public offering in June. The regulator is investigating whether the brokerage im

According to Fundstrat's Mark Newton, NVIDIA's recent market performance, coupled with global liquidity conditions, has altered the market landscape across asset classes. NVIDIA, the world's largest company by market value, is trading at $217.55 with a market cap estimated at $5.3-5.5 trillion.

According to reports, World Liberty Trust Company received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on August 14 to organize as a national trust bank. The proposed institution is backed by investors with ties to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's

According to industry reports, on August 27, Mirae Asset Asset Management launched its first tokenized covered call ETF in Hong Kong, partnering with Citi and blockchain platform OSL. The Global X HSCEI Covered Call Active ETF tokenized class enables investors to hold and trade fund shares as

According to Ki Young Ju, founder and CEO of Cryptoquant, on Aug. 27, bitcoin's bull cycle peak could be driven by institutional capital and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) outside the United States. Ju highlighted South Korea as an example of barriers to wider adoption, noting the country lacks spot b

According to the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), the organization is demanding a total ban on stablecoin rewards ahead of the September 15 Senate vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. ICBA CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey stated there is "no middle ground" on the issue, and the dema

According to Samsung Securities analyst Kim Jong-min, South Korea's KOSPI declined 1.79% last week (as of August 30), while KOSDAQ rose 4.55%, as the market remains range-bound in the absence of near-term momentum drivers. The trading band for this week is expected between 6,400 and 7,500, with

According to The Edaily, on August 2, G7 countries face an additional $16 billion in debt financing costs as global government bond yields rise following the Iran-U.S. conflict. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven energy prices higher, intensifying inflation concerns and increasing

On Aug. 27, Ki Young Ju, CEO of Cryptoquant, predicted that Bitcoin's bull cycle peak could be driven by institutional capital and exchange-traded funds outside the United States. Ju cited South Korea as an example, noting the country lacks a spot Bitcoin ETF and retail investors cannot access

According to Yonhapinfomax, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller will deliver an economic outlook speech on September 3, potentially reinforcing expectations for a September interest rate increase. This comes after Fed Chair Kevin Powell's Jackson Hole speech last week. The week ahead will f

On August 30, South Korean National Power Party lawmaker Na Kyoung-won held a press conference at the National Assembly questioning whether senior government officials have conflicts of interest regarding the approval of single-stock leveraged ETFs. Na alleged that the sons of Blue House policy

According to Korea Exchange data as of August 30, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix announced combined share repurchase plans totaling 55 trillion won, with Samsung committing 15 trillion won through November 21 for employee stock compensation and SK Hynix allocating 40 trillion won through November

According to CCTV, on August 28, Iran's President Pezeshkian stated that Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz if the United States fulfills several conditions: lifting its maritime blockade on Iran, canceling sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemical products, unfreezing Iranian assets, beginning i

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), U.S. gas prices surged $1.25 per gallon to $4.081 per gallon in August amid ongoing geopolitical tensions linked to the Iran conflict. The increase represents a 31.8% year-over-year rise from $3.2013 a year ago and translates to an

According to a PR Newswire announcement on Aug. 29, 2026, Bullish, the NYSE-listed institutional crypto platform, extended a $100 million facility to USD.AI for GPU-backed artificial intelligence loans to AI infrastructure businesses. Following the announcement, Bullish shares climbed 10.5% over fi