Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

WTI crude oil rose 5% intraday to $83.25 per barrel on July 29. Brent crude oil climbed nearly 5% to $85.88 per barrel during the same session.

UMC held an earnings call on July 29, where CEO Wang Shi stated that AI-related revenue reached nearly $300 million this year and is projected to exceed $1 billion within three years. Advanced packaging will be the largest and most strategically important business among AI-related solutions. The

Rolf Bulk, Head of Semiconductor & Infrastructure Equity Research at Futurum, stated during a CNBC interview that SK Hynix Inc., Micron Technology Inc., and Samsung Electronics hold a two-to-three-generation advantage over Chinese memory manufacturer ChangXin Memory Technologies in chip

According to Iranian military official cited by Fars News, Iran's military announced on July 29 that the Strait of Hormuz remains completely closed to all vessels. Any ships attempting to pass through, particularly those ignoring warnings, will face swift and decisive

Hong Kong stocks extended gains on July 29, with the Hang Seng Index closing at 25,807.92 points, up 497.07 points or 1.96%, marking its fifth consecutive daily gain. The Hang Seng Tech Index closed at 4,864.73 points, up 134.12 points or 2.84%. The rally was driven by tech stocks and auto stocks, w

SanDisk (SNDK) stocks rose in premarket trading on Wednesday after a 35% weekly decline, as Morningstar analyst William Kerwin released forecasts projecting AI-driven growth through fiscal 2030. The analyst expects SanDisk's revenue to grow at a 27% compound annual rate through fiscal 2030, with gro

According to MoneyDJ, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.96% to close at 25,807.92 points on July 29, marking the fifth consecutive day of gains. The Hang Seng Tech Index climbed 2.84% to 4,864.73 points. Tech and automotive stocks led the market rally, with Tencent, Alibaba, and Ideal Auto among th

According to Morningstar analyst William Kerwin, SanDisk (SNDK) shares rose 1.6% in premarket trading on Wednesday (July 29) after falling over 35% this week. Kerwin expects AI infrastructure spending to sustain NAND memory demand and elevated pricing through the next few years, forecasting SanDisk'

According to ChainCatcher, GlobalFoundries surged over 16% in U.S. premarket trading today after the U.S. government announced a $300 million subsidy for the chipmaker.

According to Jin10, New Zealand's government approved a 12-year offshore oil and gas exploration license in the Taranaki Basin on July 29, marking the first permit granted since lifting its ban on new fossil fuel exploration last year. Resource Minister Shane Jones called the decision an

According to Hyperinsight monitoring, a whale (0x927) opened a large short position overnight on July 29, ahead of the Federal Reserve's FOMC rate decision scheduled for July 30 at 2 a.m. Beijing time. The whale is shorting 3,250 contracts of SP500 with 41x leverage, with a total position value of a

According to Bloomberg, the U.S. announced a $874 million commitment to semiconductor research and development today.

E-Daily reported on July 25 that institutional investors are increasingly treating multifamily housing as a defensive real estate asset amid ongoing inflation concerns. The average interest rate on U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages has reached 6.58%, the highest level in 11 months, prompting more potential buyers to choose renting over buying. Higher borrowing costs this time will boost demand for rental properties, supporting stable cash flow for multifamily housing assets. In addition, rising

According to ChainCatcher, Gate gStocks consumer and retail stocks surged in recent trading, with KOG/USDT (Coca-Cola) up 5.51% in the past 24 hours to $88.73, reaching an intraday high of $90.23. HDG/USDT (Home Depot) rose 2.43% to $344.23, while WMT/USDT (Walmart) climbed 1.69% to $114.39.

South Korea's KOSPI, Taiwan's TAIEX, and Japan's Nikkei lost more than $950 billion in combined market value in a single session, according to figures cited by analyst Crypto Rover. The sell-off occurred as investors reacted to the Federal Reserve's latest decision and growing concerns about

According to MFS Investment Management, on July 29, UK 10-year gilt yields rose 2.6 basis points to 4.985%, primarily driven by geopolitical considerations rather than domestic concerns. Benoit Anne, an analyst at MFS, noted in a report that investors are closely monitoring the government's

According to analyst Crypto Rover, Asia's three largest stock markets lost more than $950 billion in combined market value in a single trading session, driven by investor concerns over the Federal Reserve's latest decision and growing competition from China's semiconductor industry. South Korea's

South Korea's stock market plunged on July 29, with the KOSPI falling below the 6,000 mark and the KOSDAQ dropping below 700 for the first time. Circuit breakers were triggered for a second consecutive trading day. Panic selling by retail investors, forced liquidations tied to margin debt, policy im