Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to Bloomberg on October 18, CoreWeave's financing difficulties are amplifying market concerns about AI startup funding, with high-yield debt investors becoming increasingly reluctant to finance technology startups. The company's high-yield debt yield rates surged to 15% this week, a

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix drove the Korean stock market's sharp decline this month despite posting record-breaking earnings. KOSPI closed at 5,554.22 on Oct 15, down 7.57% from the previous trading day, with Samsung Electronics falling 21.8% and SK Hynix dropping 28.9% during October. The dec

According to Yonhapinfomax, South Korea's KOSPI index plunged 7.57% to 5,554.22 on October 15, marking the seventh consecutive trading day of losses and bringing the decline to nearly 21% in a week. The sell-off was led by semiconductor stocks: Samsung Electronics fell 21.8% this month while SK

According to Press TV, on Saturday (October 17), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced a seven-day proposal to restore normal transit through the Strait of Hormuz during the Islamic Cooperation Organization's 52nd ministerial meeting in Baghdad. Araqchi said Iran has transmitted the

According to BofA Securities strategist Michael Hartnett, the bank is turning to a more cautious stance, expecting market risks to rise over the next three to four weeks amid economic, political and credit market pressures. Hartnett cited multiple destabilizing factors including 3% real yields,

According to Jin10 and Iran's Navy, on October 17, a vessel attempting to transit through a restricted zone near the Strait of Hormuz caught fire and lost navigation capability in the Gulf of Oman. The Iranian Navy's monitoring team detected the incident at the eastern entrance of the strait. The s

IPARK Hyundai Engineering & Construction's operating profit for Q3 is forecast to nearly double year-over-year, driven by accelerated construction progress on its Seoul-won I'Park project and improved cost ratios in outsourced housing. According to a consensus compiled by Yonhap Infomax on

According to Yonhap News, U.S. stock markets experienced significant volatility last week, with the Nasdaq Composite falling 4.48%—its largest weekly decline since late June—driven by concerns over AI infrastructure profitability and debt burdens. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 11.41%, ma

According to Yonhap Infomax consensus data from major South Korean brokerages, IPARK Hyundai Industrial Development's third-quarter operating profit is estimated at 144.3 billion won, up 97.67% year-over-year, driven by strong progress on its Seoul One iPark residential project. The company's Q3

According to Barclays strategist Emmanuel Cau cited in Investing.com, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) fell about 8% and South Korea's KOSPI dropped 14% this week as U.S. inflation data exceeded expectations and Middle East tensions escalated. Cau attributed semiconductor weakness to

According to ChainCatcher, at a Q3 earnings call, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said tokenization is expanding financial opportunities across multiple asset classes and has already enabled the tokenization of bonds, money market funds, and select client real estate. Solomon noted that blockchain-r

According to Burry's October 11 statement on Substack, the famous short-seller has restructured his bearish bets by converting most option positions into two index shorts: buying put options on the Nasdaq-100 index and VanEck Semiconductor ETF

Five South Korean regional banks—Kyongnam, Gwangju, Busan, Jeonbuk, and Jeju Bank—reported loan-loss provision ratios below 100% as of June-end, according to financial sector data released October 16. Non-performing loans (NPLs) at these banks grew 16.6% in the first half, nearly three times

According to South Korea's financial sector data, five regional banks—Gyeongnam, Gwangju, Busan, Jeonbuk, and Jeju—recorded non-performing loan (NPL) coverage ratios below 100% as of June 30, 2026. The banks' coverage rates stood at 74.39%, 83.01%, 85.34%, 90.59%, and 98.22%, respectively, all

According to Nikkei, Japan's Finance Ministry plans to strengthen customs enforcement to curb gold smuggling and prevent export of undisclosed-source gold that may facilitate tax evasion. Trade data from 2025 shows Japan imported 10 tons of gold but exported 228 tons, suggesting significant

Solidigm, a US subsidiary of SK Hynix, recently selected Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as underwriters for a potential US initial public offering with a discussed offering size of up to $10 billion, according to industry sources. The move has drawn attention to SK Hynix's board responsibilities under dual-listing rules that took effect in August, which impose five shareholder protection duties on parent company boards but do not require shareholder approval for subsidiaries acquired through a

According to Yonhapinfomax, on October 18, SK Hynix's Solidaim (a NAND flash subsidiary acquired from Intel) is moving forward with U.S. IPO preparations by selecting underwriters and pursuing pre-IPO funding. Separately, LG Electronics' U.S. robotics unit BearRobotics has also been reported as

According to the Associated Press, on Saturday, Trump claimed at a Kentucky rally that the ongoing Iran war, which has lasted nearly eight months, would end soon and gas prices would subsequently fall below pre-war levels. The president also reiterated a contested pledge that each American adult wou

Ripple Prime has introduced institutional access to perpetual derivatives referencing traditional financial assets through infrastructure connected to the Hyperliquid blockchain ecosystem. The service, operated via Trade.xyz, covers equities, commodities, and foreign exchange markets with around-the