Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Korea Investment & Securities stated on the 27th that KOSDAQ requires a decline in market interest rates for a meaningful rebound, despite improved earnings and low valuations. Analyst Yeom Dong-chan explained that recent rises in Korean treasury bond rates have constrained stock prices due to KOSDA

National Australia Bank expects the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates in September, according to the bank's latest economic forecast.

According to Korean Investment & Securities on August 27, KOSDAQ's earnings have improved significantly but the index remains trapped at historically low valuations, with meaningful recovery contingent on declining interest rates. The analyst noted that despite TTM (trailing twelve months) net

Aju IB Investment, a first-generation South Korean venture capital firm, achieved a 10-fold return on its investment in biotech company Arcellx, according to a report. The firm invested 17.4 billion KRW in Arcellx starting in 2019 through its Boston subsidiary Solasta Ventures and recovered 167.5 bi

Mirae Asset Securities and Toss Securities are pursuing the acquisition of Japanese securities firms as part of an accelerated global expansion strategy. According to financial industry sources on the 27th, the two companies are conducting final acquisition discussions targeting 3-4 Japanese securit

Japanese semiconductor company Kioxia plans to build a new production facility at its northern Japan plant with an investment exceeding $6.27 billion (approximately 8.69 trillion won). According to Nikkei Asia on the 27th, Kioxia management is scheduled to announce the construction plan at the

According to financial sources on August 27, Mirae Asset Securities and Toss Securities are pursuing the acquisition of 3-4 Japanese brokerages, with final targets expected to be confirmed by September. The two companies are analyzing business viability, acquisition price, and potential synergies to

According to Nikkei Asia, Kioxia announced on August 27 plans to invest over $6.27 billion to construct a new NAND Flash memory production facility at its Iwate plant in northern Japan, with operations targeted to begin from 2029 onward. The new facility will mass-produce NAND Flash memory chips

According to Asia Economy, South Korean venture capital firm Ajou IB Investment has established itself as a leading early-stage and growth-stage investor since pioneering domestic VC entry into Boston in 2013. To date, 19 of its portfolio companies have listed on Nasdaq. The firm achieved a

Samsung Securities downgraded Hyundai Motor's target stock price by 7.7% to 600,000 won from 650,000 won on the 27th. Analyst Lim Eun-young attributed the downgrade to concerns that Hyundai Motor Group's robotics business expansion through separate subsidiaries rather than the parent company will pr

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff dismissed concerns about a 'SaaSpocalypse' on Wednesday during an appearance on CNBC's Mad Money, following the company's latest earnings report. Benioff stated that frontier AI models depend on customer relationship management software rather than replacing it. Earlier t

Samsung Securities lowered Hyundai Motor's target price to 600,000 Korean won from 650,000 won yesterday (Aug 27), representing a 7.7% reduction. The downgrade reflects concerns that the robot business—a key growth driver for Hyundai Group—is being pursued through separate subsidiaries, limiting

On Thursday, August 27, major economic releases and central bank communications are scheduled. The European Central Bank will publish monetary policy meeting minutes at 19:30 UTC, while key U.S. data includes initial jobless claims for the week ending August 22 and weekly EIA natural gas inventory a

According to IDC, Apple's first foldable iPhone is set to launch in September with expected first-year shipments exceeding 10 million units despite a price near $2,500. The foldable smartphone market is forecast to grow 12.6% this year and 18% in 2027, with Apple expected to capture 40% of global fo

323 Korean listed companies reported combined Q2 operating profit of 249.3 trillion won as of August 25, exceeding the June-end consensus of 224.7 trillion won by 10.97%, according to FnGuide. Despite the earnings beat, target price downgrades outnumbered upgrades during the earnings season,

According to reports, South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) issued 66 correction requests on securities filings for share offerings (유상증자) through August 2026, already surpassing the entire 2025 annual count. As the FSC strengthened scrutiny on share offering applications, numerous

The US dollar strengthened on August 26 afternoon at 4pm Eastern Time, with the Dollar Index rising to 99.147 and USD-JPY climbing to 159.347 yen. The currency gained support from US inflation data exceeding expectations and strong domestic demand indicators, while oil prices reduced intraday

South Korea's net external financial assets fell to $64 billion at the end of Q2 2025, down from $753.6 billion at the end of Q1 2025, according to data from the Bank of Korea. The $689.5 billion quarterly decline was driven by increased foreign investor holdings of Korean stocks as domestic stock

According to CNBC, on Aug 26 (local time), Okta reported fiscal Q2 2027 revenue of $805 million, up 11% year-over-year and beating Wall Street consensus of $795 million. Adjusted earnings per share reached $1.05, exceeding the expected $0.97. Net income surged 73% year-over-year to $116 million.

On August 26, the Nasdaq Composite closed down 0.08% as U.S. stock markets consolidated ahead of Nvidia's earnings report. The S&P 500 finished slightly higher at 7,675.70, up 0.02%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.21% to 53,463.88.