Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to its earnings announcement on August 4, Coupang Inc reported Q2 revenue of $8.856 billion, up 4% year-over-year (10% on a fixed-rate basis), marking an all-time high. However, the company posted an operating loss of $556 million in Q2, a swing from a $149 million profit in the prior-year

According to BlockBeats, on Tuesday, August 5, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.73% and 1.7% respectively, setting record highs. The Nasdaq Composite gained 2.59%. Semiconductor stocks led the advance, with SK Hynix up 8%, Micron Technology up 7.6%, and SanDisk up 10.8%. Nvidia g

According to Wall Street Breakfast, as U.S.-Iran tensions ease following diplomatic signals from Qatar and the U.S., oil prices declined sharply today (August 4). Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor's 500 and Dow Jones indices hit record highs, with the semiconductor index surging 6%. Iran reported

Japan's nominal wage growth in June rose 3.4% year-over-year, matching consensus expectations and up from 3.2% in the previous month, according to official labor statistics.

Japan's overtime pay rate (year-on-year) fell to 2.8% in June from 2.9% in the previous month, marking a 0.1 percentage point decline.

According to Yonhap News, LG U+ posted revenue of 3.895 trillion Korean won and operating profit of 316.9 billion won in the second quarter of 2026, marking year-on-year growth of 1.32% and 4.08% respectively, based on consensus estimates from 12 brokerages. Growth drivers included rising mobile

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix posted strong gains in NextTrade pre-market trading on the 5th. As of 8:06 AM, Samsung Electronics traded at 251,000 won, up 11,000 won (4.58%) from the previous session, while SK Hynix rose 93,000 won (5.90%) to 1.67 million won. The rally followed US

According to NH Investment & Securities analyst Mo Jin-won on August 5, MK Electronics is positioned as a key beneficiary of expanding SoCAMM2 memory adoption in AI servers, driven by surging demand for bonding wire used in high-stack memory packaging. The semiconductor division alone trades at

According to Wells Fargo strategist Ohsung Kwon on August 5, companies manufacturing equipment and tools for data centers represent some of the stocks most closely tied to artificial intelligence trends, with spillover effects now benefiting the broader industrial sector. Wells Fargo estimates

Michael Burry, the investor known as the real-life model for the film 'The Big Short,' warned that the S&P 500's rally to record highs may end in a sharp selloff similar to the 1987 stock market crash. In a Substack post on the 4th (local time), Burry stated he still believes the market may be

Kakao Bank reported Q2 net profit of 140.8 billion KRW, an 11.5% increase compared to the same period last year (126.3 billion KRW), marking the bank's strongest first-half performance on record. The growth was driven by loan expansion and increased fund management profits, with both interest

Nongshim's operating profit for Q2 is analyzed to have increased by over 30%. According to Yonhap Infomax consensus (screen number 8031) on August 5, a compilation of earnings forecasts from six major domestic securities firms that issued reports within the past month shows Nongshim is expected to r

According to CNBC, on August 4, investor Michael Burry warned that the S&P 500's record highs could trigger a sharp selloff similar to the 1987 stock market crash. In a Substack post, Burry stated he believes the market may be approaching a major peak, noting that record highs and low volatility cou

According to Yonhapinfomax, South Korean fintech bank Kakao Bank reported on August 5 that second-quarter net profit reached 140.8 billion Korean won, up 11.5% year-over-year. First-half net profit totaled 328 billion won, representing a 24.4% increase and marking the bank's highest H1 earnings on r

According to Yonhapinfomax, on August 4 US local time, Elon Musk announced in SpaceX's earnings call that the company will exclusively use Nvidia chips for all future AI and computing infrastructure, ending its relationship with AMD. Musk stated that SpaceX will optimize and deploy Nvidia's

Caterpillar lowered its second-quarter tariff cost to $400 million from an expected $700 million, citing favorable adjustments to prior tariff accruals. The company also confirmed $392 million in IEEPA tariff recoveries for the quarter. Excluding Q2 recoveries, Caterpillar guided full-year 2026

Samsung Electronics maintained first place in the Q2 global DRAM market with a 39% share, according to Counterpoint Research, while SK Hynix held 26% and Micron reached 25%. US Treasury Secretary Bessent stated an agreement between the US and Iran regarding the Hormuz Strait may occur today or

Wall Street investment banks issued buy recommendations on undervalued stocks as market volatility pushed the S&P 500's 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio to 19.7x, approximately 2.5% below the five-year average. Deutsche Bank, Piper Sandler, and Bank of America identified buying

SK Hynix American Depositary Receipt (ADR) surged over 8% on the New York Stock Exchange on the 4th (local time) after Wall Street financial firms issued 'buy' or 'overweight' investment ratings, Reuters reported. At least six financial firms including Bank of America initiated coverage with

According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung maintained its lead in the global DRAM market in Q2 2026 with 39% market share, the highest since 2024, while SK Hynix held 26% and Micron captured 25%. Samsung's dominance reflects strong demand amid agentic AI and CPU applications. Counterpoint