Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Wall Street Journal, Vietnam's trade surplus with the United States reached $114 billion in the first half of 2026, surpassing Mexico to become the country with the largest trade surplus to the U.S. This outcome is notable given Vietnam's economy is approximately one-quarter the size of

According to iNews24, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's combined shareholder return plans of approximately 150 trillion won are expected to weaken the Korean won against the US dollar, benefiting airline stocks. SK Hynix announced a 40 trillion won share buyback and cancellation plan on

Taiwan's Taiex weighted index closed up 0.3% at 45,975.22 points on August 27.

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song assessed on the 27th that the dollar-won exchange rate has stabilized significantly after recent sharp declines but remains high compared to historical levels. The assessment came after the Monetary Policy Committee raised the base rate by 25 basis points

According to analysts Padhraic Garvey and Michiel Tukker from ING, on August 27, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield is unlikely to break below 4.5% in the short term. The analysts expect the rate to remain in the 4.5%-5% range, with pressure for it to rise to 4.75%-5%

According to Reto Cueni, chief economist at Statholder Group, the market may slightly raise expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike at its September meeting on August 27. However, Cueni noted that markets still likely expect the Fed to hold rates steady, a view shared by Statholder Group

According to Yonhapinfomax, SSG.com, jointly owned by Emart (controlled by Chairman Jeong Yong-jin) and Shinsegae (controlled by Chairman Jeong Yu-kyung), approved a personnel split of its lifestyle business division on August 27. The existing

According to CME data released on August 27, natural gas on August 26 saw trading volume increase 106,581 contracts to 507,560 and open interest rise 20,146 contracts to 1,767,876. Meanwhile, copper declined 704 contracts in volume to 102,341 and 4,505 in open interest to 278,794. Brent crude oil

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song stated on the 27th that expansionary fiscal policy does not contradict tight monetary policy if it raises the potential growth rate. Speaking at a press conference held at the BOK headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, Shin responded to questions about whether the

US corporations posted record profit margins in Q2 2026, with after-tax profits as a share of gross value added reaching 19.4%, the highest level since the Bureau of Economic Analysis data series began in the 1940s, according to data released on August 26. Profits from current production

Ondo Finance's FXIon, a tokenized version of the iShares China Large-Cap ETF, has reached 59,000 holders as of mid-August 2026 across Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Solana. The token, which launched in late July 2025, carries an on-chain market cap of approximately $290K with a circulating supply of

According to Deutsche Bank strategists on August 27, the U.S. Treasury Department is expected to adopt more active intervention measures in debt management, including expanding its long-term Treasury bond repurchase operations to at least $40 billion from the initially doubled program. The bank

According to Bureau of Economic Analysis data released on August 26, US corporate profits surged in Q2 2026, with total profits reaching $4.827 trillion on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, up approximately 9% from Q1. More significantly, after-tax profits as a share of gross value added

According to The Information, Nvidia agreed to acquire open-source AI platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion on Wednesday. The chipmaker's acquisition would expand its influence into AI software and the model distribution ecosystem. Hugging Face generates over $150 million in annualized revenue, ma

Recently, Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino stated he agrees with the central bank governor's view that faster rate hikes are possible if financial conditions become too loose. However, Himino emphasized that interest rate decisions will not be based solely on the degree of financial

According to a company executive, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) recently announced plans to increase the Kochi refinery's production capacity from 15.5 million tonnes per year to 17 million tonnes per year, representing an expansion of 1.5 million tonnes

According to analysts reported by Jin10 on August 27, European natural gas prices may surge above 100 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) this winter, reaching the highest level since the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war. The spike would be needed to attract sufficient U.S.

Morgan Stanley maintained its Overweight rating and $400 target price on Alphabet on the 26th (local time), stating the market undervalues the growth potential of the company's Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chip business. The investment bank raised its TPU revenue estimate to approximately $27