Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Korea Exchange, as of July 23, Brent crude surged to $100.69 per barrel, marking the first time it breached the $100 level in two months and representing a 38% jump from late June. WTI futures for September delivery closed at $92.19 per barrel, up 33% over the same period. Escalating m

According to Yonhapinfomax, the dollar-yen exchange rate climbed to 163.852 yen last week, marking its highest level since November 1986 as oil prices surged on Middle East tensions. The pair briefly approached 163.988 yen, approaching the 164 level. The U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision is

The Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will convene July 28-29 to decide monetary policy amid heightened uncertainty over a potential rate hike. Futures markets are pricing a 30% probability of a rate increase, an unusually high level of doubt for a meeting where consensus

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are scheduled to announce Q2 earnings this week, with SK Hynix reporting on the 29th and Samsung Electronics releasing confirmed results on the 30th. Samsung Electronics previously disclosed preliminary Q2 results showing revenue of 171 trillion won and operating

According to Maeil Business Newspaper, SK Hynix is set to report record second-quarter earnings this week, with revenue estimated at 84.17 trillion won, up 278.6% year-over-year. Operating profit is projected at 64.24 trillion won, nearly 7 times higher than the prior year. The earnings surge

According to Barron's, ARK Invest bought approximately 160,000 Tesla shares on Thursday (July 24) through four ETFs—ARK Innovation ETF, ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF, ARK Next Generation Internet ETF, and ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF. The purchases came after Tesla released

Korean securities firms posted strong second-quarter profits in 2025, driving expectations for higher dividends as the KRX Securities Index fell only 1.3% over the recent one-month period through May 26, according to Korea Exchange data. Trading volumes surged 288% year-over-year in Q2 2025, with ex

SK Telecom, Mirae Asset Securities, and LIG Defense & Aerospace were featured in the fourth week of July as top analyst picks by Money Today's securities desk. On July 20, Kim Aram of Shinhan Investment Securities published a report forecasting SK Telecom's stock could overshoot before Anthropic's I

According to Jin10 data, Saudi Aramco's stock fell 1.0% to 26.56 riyals during Sunday morning trading, following a Houthi attack on the company's oil facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. The decline triggered market concerns over potential operational disruptions at the state-owned oil giant. Despite

According to Meritz Securities, South Korea's five major securities firms—Mirae Asset Securities, Korea Finance Holdings, NH Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities, and Kiwoom Securities—posted combined second-quarter net income of 4.28 trillion won on July 26, up 29% quarter-over-quarter.

According to Asiae, South Korea's five major financial groups posted combined net profits of 13.12 trillion Korean won in the first half of 2026, up approximately 10% year-over-year. KB Financial led the group with 3.88 trillion won in net profit, followed by Shinhan Financial with 3.44 trillion won

According to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing disclosure on July 24, Allianz International Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong security services provider, submitted its listing application to GEM with China Rise Securities as sole sponsor. This marks the company's second filing; it previously submitted an

Korean stock markets triggered sidecar mechanisms every trading day from July 20 to 24, according to Korea Exchange data released on July 26. The five consecutive trading days saw alternating buy and sell sidecars across KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets as extreme volatility gripped trading. Middle East

According to Maeil Gyeongje, NH Amundi Asset Management recently launched HANARO US AI Optical Communication TOP10 to compete with Samsung's KODEX 미국AI광통신네트워크, which has surged 30% since its March listing and raised 380 billion Korean won. The two ETFs employ contrasting strategies despite

According to The Wall Street Journal, SK Hynix ADRs listed in the U.S. this month have shown a significant premium relative to its Seoul-listed shares, with the gap ranging from 16% to 51% since launch and standing at 29% on Friday, July 26. Each ADR represents 0.1 Seoul-listed shares and is

According to Korea Exchange, single-stock leverage ETF products hit Kosdaq mid-cap and small-cap stocks on July 24, causing trading volumes to drop approximately 50% within two months. The concentrated impact coincided with the product launch and a liquidity drought in the Kosdaq market. As the Kosd

Yemen Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea on the 23rd, forcing route diversions that threaten oil costs across Asia. The rebels declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for attacks on Sana Airport in Yemen, prompting vessel rerouting and

South Korea's Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service announced on July 24 that the basic deposit requirement for single-stock leveraged ETFs and ETNs will increase from 10 million won to 30 million won starting July 31, accelerating the implementation from the originally

According to South Korea's Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service, minimum deposit requirements for single-stock leverage ETFs will rise to 3 million won (from 1 million won) on July 31, three weeks ahead of the originally planned August 19 implementation. The regulator

According to analysts at South Korea's Daishin Securities and LS Securities, two Saudi oil tankers came under attack in the Red Sea on July 23 as Yemen-based Houthi forces declared a maritime blockade, intensifying concerns about transportation costs for Asian nations including South Korea, Japan,