Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Korean steel industry financial structures are expected to improve as the dollar-won exchange rate stabilizes at the 1,300 won level. According to last year's business reports, a 10% decline in the won-dollar exchange rate increases POSCO's pretax profit by approximately 402.5 billion won and

Samsung Biologics and Celltrion are closely monitoring the recent sharp decline in the USD-KRW exchange rate, which fell from an intraday high of 1,559.20 won on the 1st of last month to below 1,400 won on the 19th, closing at 1,386.00 won on the 21st. The won's strengthening poses a challenge for t

Seoul's bond market is maintaining a cautious stance this week ahead of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting on the 27th, with participants monitoring international oil prices and a scheduled 3 trillion won 5-year treasury auction. The market has largely priced in the possibility of a

According to Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, Iran discovered a new gas field in southern Fars Province on Aug 23. The discovery contains proven gas reserves exceeding 7.5 trillion cubic feet (approximately 212.4 billion cubic meters), with recoverable reserves of around 5.7 trillion cubic feet

According to Yonhap Infomax, South Korea's steel industry's financial structure improved on August 24 as the won strengthened to around 1,300 per dollar. A 10% decline in the dollar-won exchange rate increases Posco's pretax

EcoPro BM announced on the 24th it will convert its Hungary Debrecen factory production line from NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) to an NCA-NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) hybrid line to supply high-nickel cathode materials for European premium electric vehicles starting Q4 next year. The conversion

According to Hankyung, EcoproBEM announced on August 24 that it will convert its existing NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) production line at its Hungary facility into an NCA-NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) mixed-use line to supply high-nickel cathode materials for European premium electric vehicles

According to the Korea Exchange, secondary battery stocks rallied on August 24, with strong buying pressure in early trading. L&F (엘앤에프) surged 14.07% to 119,200 Korean won, while Posco Future M (포스코퓨처엠) gained 8% at 9:40 a.m. KST, as expectations for recovery in the secondary battery sector

According to CFETS-NEX data, the China Foreign Exchange Trade System sentiment index rose to 57 as of 08:45 on Aug 24, up 8 points from 16:00 on Aug 23. By institution type, large banks reported 56 (up 8 points), mid-size banks reported 59 (up 9 points), and non-bank institutions reported 55 (up 7 p

According to Jin10 on August 24, the market is pricing in an 82% probability of a Bank of Japan rate hike in September as officials prepare upcoming remarks that could confirm or dampen aggressive rate hike expectations. Bank of Japan officials will have multiple opportunities to signal policy

The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF surpassed $100 billion in total net assets this month for the first time, according to CNBC on the 23rd (US local time). The shift reflects investor concerns over concentration risks in US Stocks, as the Magnificent 7 tech giants that represent approximately

South Korea's KOSPI index declined 0.66% to 6,867.16 points in early morning trading on August 24, down 45.79 points from the previous close. The weakness was driven by rising government bond yields and renewed trade tensions following announcements by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding

CNBC reported on the 22nd (US local time) that Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) and Merck (NYSE: MRK) entered overbought territory after excessive stock price surges last week, following reports of successful cancer vaccine Phase 3 clinical trial results. The report identified 13 S&P 500 stocks with 14-day

According to CNBC on August 23, Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) surpassed $100 billion in assets under management for the first time this month. The fund has attracted over $12 billion in inflows since the start of 2026 and has outperformed the traditional market-cap weighted S&P 500 index

According to Goldman Sachs, AI trading showed signs of stress last week as the bank's high-beta momentum portfolio fell 12% and AI hedge fund strategies dropped 10%, signaling a shift away from concentrated AI bets. Goldman Sachs trader Natasha Tiwana described the market move as a typical

According to Korea Exchange, KOSPI fell 1.08% to 6,839.45 as of 9:18 AM KST on August 24, dragged down by Samsung Electronics' sharp decline. Samsung Electronics, the market's largest-cap stock by market capitalization, dropped approximately 6% following investor disappointment over its

According to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS), the yuan exchange rate index fell 0.58 to 101.54 on a weekly basis for the week ending August 21.

According to News24, AI-based autonomous drone manufacturer Nears Lab listed on South Korea's KOSDAQ market on August 24 at a price of 41,200 KRW per share, hitting the top of its projected price band (30,000–41,200 KRW). Fellow company Hatch Tech also listed this week. Sky Labs simultaneously

At 8:30 Beijing time on August 24, spot platinum fell 0.22%, while spot palladium declined 0.31%.

According to ZeroHedge, Japan's Kanto Denka and Central Glass halted tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) production on July 1 due to inability to source high-purity tungsten powder, causing a critical supply shortage in semiconductor manufacturing. The two companies previously supplied approximately 25%