Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

According to ChoiceFinance APP, Hang Seng Index futures (July contract) closed at 25,020 points on July 25, up 54 points or 0.216%, trading at a 57-point premium. Open interest totaled 120,460 contracts, down 14,276 contracts.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Daewoo Engineering & Construction, two South Korean stocks recognized as nuclear power plays this year, saw target price downgrades from multiple securities firms in the recent month. The downgrades reflect delayed timelines for anticipated nuclear plant

According to consensus data from Yonhap Infomax, target prices for South Korean construction firms Hyundai E&C and Daewoo E&C have been downward revised over the past month, reflecting delayed expectations for nuclear power plant contracts. Hyundai E&C's target price range fell from 180,000–231,000

According to Moody's, on July 24, unprecedented artificial intelligence infrastructure investments by major technology companies threaten their credit ratings by worsening free cash flows and straining financial health. The rating agency cited Oracle and CoreWeave as facing heightened pressure,

Korean individual investors are channeling funds into covered call exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as domestic stock market volatility intensifies, according to data from KOSCOM ETF CHECK. During the recent one-month period when the KOSPI index fell more than 21%, covered call ETFs delivered returns ex

Alphabet raised its capital expenditure guidance to $195 billion–$205 billion, citing sustained cloud and AI demand that outpaces current computing capacity. Google Cloud's Q2 revenue surged 82% year-over-year to $24.8 billion, with operating margin reaching 35.6% and order backlog expanding to $514

According to Koscom ETF CHECK data, covered call exchange-traded funds have attracted significant retail investor inflows over the past month as South Korea's KOSPI index fell over 21% amid heightened market volatility. RISE 200 High Dividend Covered Call ATM led gains with a 23.17% return,

According to Edaily, Alphabet raised its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $195-205 billion on July 24, increasing by up to $15 billion from its prior guidance of $180-190 billion. The company cited strong demand for cloud and AI services that outpaces current computing supply capacity. Google

The US dollar rose slightly on July 24, showing a V-shaped movement as it tracked international oil price fluctuations amid evolving US-Iran tensions. The euro ultimately turned lower as crude oil pared losses and President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on the European Union. According to Yonhap I

Mirae Asset Securities raised its target price for LS Electric stocks by over 20% to 280,000 won from 230,000 won on May 26, maintaining a 'buy' rating and citing continued hyperscaler investment in AI and data center infrastructure. The revision, based on an upward adjustment of the company's 2028

According to Mirae Asset Securities, on July 26, the brokerage upgraded LS Electric's price target to 2.8 million won from 2.3 million won, maintaining a buy rating. The target implies over 25% upside from July 23's closing price of 2.235 million won. The move reflects stronger-than-expected

According to financial industry sources, South Korea's stock market triggered circuit breaker mechanisms (side car) on all five trading days of the week of July 20-24, marking an unusual volatility pattern where both sell-side and buy-side circuit breakers activated intermittently. On Friday, July 2

According to CCTV, on July 24, two small U.S. enterprises filed lawsuits against the International Trade Court, challenging tariff hikes of 10%-12.5% imposed on dozens of countries under the pretense of combating forced labor. The plaintiffs argued that the government

Hana Securities researcher Lee Young-joo stated on the 25th that AI investment productivity is now as important as capital expenditure scale, as the market shifts focus from 'how much was spent' to 'whether the spending delivers value.' Bloomberg's LLM token

South Korean government's second-half inflation target faces mounting pressure as international oil prices surged past $100 per barrel on July 23 amid escalating Middle East tensions. Brent crude futures for September delivery closed at $100.69 per barrel on July 23, marking the first time the

Gate News reports that, citing Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, Robinhood is exploring partnership opportunities in the prediction market space.

Bitcoin and Ethereum posted gains in the fourth week of July despite surging oil prices driven by Middle East geopolitical tensions, according to Xangle on the 25th. Bitcoin rose 1.79% to $65,045 during the week, while Ethereum climbed 1.96% to $1,877, supported by continued institutional inflows th

According to Zing, Bitcoin rose 1.79% to $65,045 and Ethereum climbed 1.96% to $1,877 in the week ending July 23, supported by institutional inflows via spot exchange-traded funds despite geopolitical tensions driving oil prices higher. U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs saw net inflows of approximately $609 m

According to CNBC, Tesla shares plunged 18% this week, closing at $313.03 on Friday—the worst single week since 2022—while SpaceX declined 7.2% to $115.07, marking its lowest since its record IPO last month. The combined losses erased approximately $130 billion from Elon Musk's wealth, just weeks

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the back office that settles most U.S. securities trades, plans to start trading tokenized stocks, ETFs, and treasuries this month, with a broader launch in October. The entity protects more than $114 trillion in assets and over 50 firms have